Allison McSwain

In addition to serving on the Converse University faculty teaching applied trumpet, South Carolina native Dr. Allison McSwain teaches applied trumpet at Clemson University, and is a freelance musician in the upstate of South Carolina. 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 member of the South Carolina Ballet Orchestra. She regularly substitutes with the Aiken Symphony and Spartanburg Philharmonic. She was principal trumpet of the Henderson (NV) Symphony Orchestra 2012-2022 and has performed with the 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 doctoralresearch 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.