Paul Shewan

Orchestra Conductor & Trumpet

DMA (Eastman School of Music), MM (Eastman School of Music), BSc (Roberts Wesleyan College)

Paul Shewan is a devoted educator and performer. He is currently Professor of Instrumental Studies in the Department of Music and Performing Arts at Roberts Wesleyan University. He conducts the orchestra and wind ensemble, teaches trumpet, brass ensembles, and instrumental conducting. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Roberts Wesleyan and a masters in trumpet performance and literature, and a doctorate in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music. He has returned to Eastman as visiting professor of conducting.

Paul has been a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra trumpet section since 1998 and has been a guest conductor with the RPO on several occasions. He has also conducted the Varna Philharmonic Orchestra (Bulgaria). He has conducted performances for live public radio broadcasts (WXXI) on the Music at Midday series from Roberts Wesleyan College and as soloist and conductor on the Live from Hochstein concert series. He performed J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 with members of the RPO and was soloist and conductor with the RPO in Handel’s Let the Bright Seraphim. He was a frequent trumpeter with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra from 1985-2002, during which time he also played with the Buffalo Brass Quintet.

In addition to playing on recordings with the RPO, Shewan may be heard as trumpet soloist, ensemble member, and conductor on several commercial recordings on the Albany label. He has almost 50 professional solo trumpet and educational video recordings that may be viewed on YouTube.

Paul was a guest conductor with the Air Force Band of Liberty (Boston), the Air Force Heritage of America Band (Virginia), Concordia Santa Fe (New Mexico), and is an active conductor for high school district and regional music festivals. He has conducted the Syracuse Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (RPYO). He conducted summer concerts with members of the both the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra (HYSO) and the RPYO. In 2019 he received the Special Music Educator Award from the RPO for his musical and educational contributions the community.

Paul has recently been published in “The Conductor’s Companion” (compiled and edited by Gary Stith, Merideth Music Publications, 2017). During several recent trips to Nanjing and Xi’an, China, he taught master classes for brass players and conducted several concerts and rehearsals with both HS Youth Orchestras and Concert Bands. Each summer he conducts the high school orchestra at the Csehy Summer School of Music near Philadelphia, PA. Prior to coming to Roberts Wesleyan University, Dr. Shewan taught instrumental music for five years in the Holland, NY Central School district. He and his wife Joy have four grown children and five grandchildren.