Brandon Pauley
Adjunct Instructor of Music
BPauley@schreiner.edu

Brandon Pauley is a trumpeter and bass-baritone from San Antonio, Texas. Pauley is an avid performer, having worked with several notable ensembles such as the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, the San Antonio Brass Band, and others. He currently performs regularly as a staff singer and trumpeter for First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, one of the largest churches in the area. Pauley also has been managing a private trumpet studio since 2018, working with students from multiple central Texas school districts. Many of his students have been successful at TMEA All State and UIL Solo competitions.

Pauley began his work for a Doctor of Music degree in the Fall of 2016 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During his first year at UIUC, he served as the principal trumpet of the University of Illinois Wind Symphony, while also performing with the university’s jazz, orchestral, and contemporary music ensembles. In the Fall of 2016, Pauley earned a Master of Music degree from Wichita State University, where he served as a graduate student assistant. While at WSU, he was a winner of the university’s Concerto Competition and performed Vivaldi’s Concerto in C with the university orchestra. In 2014, Pauley earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Texas State University. Some of his most notable trumpet mentors include Charles Daval, Ronald Romm, Tito Carrillo, David Hunsicker, and Keith Winking.

Robert Soto
Low Brass Instructor
RSoto@schreiner.edu

Trombonist and Educator Robert Soto is a native of El Paso, Texas. He has performed and taught across the United States, Mexico, Canada, England and Brazil. He has worked with such artists as Sir Neville Marriner, Dave Taylor, Gary Foster, Brad Leali, Bill Reichenbach, Tito Puente Jr and jazz legend Dave Brubeck as well as composers Alan Silvestri, Eric Nathan and Frank Ticheli. Robert has also recorded/performed with a variety of groups including the El Paso Wind Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Golden State Pops Symphony Orchestra, Clare Fischer/Brent Fischer Jazz Group, Elliot Deutsch Big Band, Conjunto Oye and on the IFC series Comedy Bang, Bang! He has performed with the Yale Philharmonia at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Hungarian Revolution at Carnegie Hall in NYC, Birmingham and Wigan Jazz Festivals in England, the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) convention, the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) convention and the Music for All National Festival and Summer Symposium sponsored by Yamaha.

As a featured soloist, Robert has performed at the Texas Tech Big XII Trombone Conference, with the El Segundo Concert Band and Fullerton College Symphonic Winds and at the Southern California Trombone Day. Since coming to Los Angeles in 2008, Robert has been in demand as a freelance trombonist, private instructor, conductor and guest clinician. Mr. Soto has presented clinics and masterclasses across the United States and continues to perform, and guest lecture throughout Texas. He has worked with a variety of music programs ranging from beginning bands, middle school/high school ensembles, college/university groups and community bands. Robert has served on the brass staffs for the Blue Knights, Sacramento Mandarins, DCI World Champion Cavaliers, Boston Crusaders and The Battalion Drum & Bugle Corps. Robert holds a bachelor’s in music education (Cum Laude) from the University of Texas at El Paso and a master’s in music performance from Yale University, School of Music. He has studied trombone with Scott Hartman, Steve Norrell, John Lofton, Steve Wilson, Allan Kaplan and Robert Melendez. His conducting studies were with Dr. Ron Hufstader and Maestro Toshiyuki Shimada. In 2013, Robert was selected to attend the Pokorny Low Brass Seminar, where he studied with members of the Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit and Chicago Symphony Orchestras.

Robert has served as the Director of Bands at Norte Vista High School, El Segundo Middle School/High School, and as Adjunct Professor of Trombone at Cal Poly Pomona University and Fullerton College. He has also taught at Ayala HS and Chino Hills HS. In June 2019, Mr. Soto relocated to San Antonio to become the Assistant Director of Bands at William H. Taft High School and in July 2021 joined the brass faculty at Schreiner University. Off the podium, Robert enjoys family time with his wife and professional oboist April Cap, their daughter Camila and their furry pets. Robert Soto is a performing artist and educator for the Yamaha Corporation of America and performs on Yamaha trombones exclusively.