Allison McSwain

Applied Lecturer, trumpet

Education
DMA, University of Nevada; MM, University of Nevada; MAcc, Western Carolina University; BA, Furman University

Allison McSwain serves in the role of Applied Music Lecturer - Trumpet at Clemson University, and is a freelance musician in the upstate of South Carolina, where she is an active performer and educator. She is the trumpet instructor for Spartanburg School District 5 and maintains an active private studio. She serves as principal solo cornet with the Foothills Brass Band and regularly substitutes with the Aiken Symphony Orchestra. She was principal trumpet of the Henderson (Nevada) Symphony Orchestra 2012-2022 and has performed with the South Carolina Ballet Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic Brass Quintet, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Las Vegas Sinfonietta, Joey Fatone, and DJ Dada Life. Allison is a founding member of Argentum Chamber Works and Lake Pepin Chamber Music.

She has presented at the International Women’s Brass Conference (2025: Developing & Facilitating Your Pre-College Studio; 2022: The Practice Cycle) and the International Trumpet Guild Conference (2024: Robert Starer’s Music for Solo Trumpet; 2022: Warming Up to Warming Up) and served as a peer reviewer for the ITG Research Room.

Prior to becoming a full-time musician, Allison had a 12-year career in higher education recruitment, admissions, advising, and learning support.

She is a graduate of University of Nevada, Las Vegas (DMA ’23; MM ’11), Western Carolina University (MAcc ’09), and Furman University (BA ’08); her doctoral research focused on Robert Starer’s compositions for solo trumpet: Invocation, The Mystic Trumpeter, and Three Preludes for Trumpet and Organ. Allison’s primary teachers include Dr. Gary Malvern, Larry Black, Steven Trinkle, Justin Emerich, and Dr. Barbara Hull.