Bios: UBC Brass Trio

UBC BRASS TRIO

The UBC Brass Trio is composed of three members from the UBC School of Music – Katherine Evans (Trumpet), Valerie Whitney (French Horn), and Jeremy Berkman (Trombone).  They are also members of the newly formed Vancouver Brass Orchestra, which is comprised of members of the UBC Musical community as well as leading brass players in the Vancouver music scene.

Jeremy Berkman, Trombone

Trombonist Jeremy Berkman’s musical journey has taken him on many paths.  He is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College, as well as the Julliard School, where he earned degrees in both music and economics.  Arriving in Vancouver in 1989, Jeremy’s first served as Stage Manager for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.  He has been performing as Principal Trombonist with Vancouver Opera’s orchestra since 1992.   A co-founder of the award-winning Vancouver based Turning Point Ensemble currently led by composer/conductor Owen Underhill, Jeremy now directs the ensemble’s education programming.  He is featured on the Centrediscs Still Image as a collaborator with the Bozzini String Quartet, recording Owen’s fabulous trombone quintet, and was nominated for a Juno Award as a member of cellist Peggy Lee’s octet, The Peggy Lee Band.  Jeremy is an Instructor of Trombone and chamber music coach at the University of British Columbia.  As another interesting duality to his musical pursuits, Jeremy is also diving into 16th and 17th century repertoire, performing on the sackbut (a distinctive name for the modern trombone’s ancestor) with a newly formed Vancouver based sackbut quartet, Cappella Borealis, and as a frequent performer for Early Music Vancouver.  

Valerie Whitney, Horn

Valerie Whitney serves Assistant Professor of Horn and Brass Area Coordinator at the University of British Columbia. Prior to her appointment at UBC, Valerie performed for audiences across the Midwestern United States for over a decade, with regular appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Lyric Opera Orchestra. She appears regularly with performing organizations in the United States as an orchestral and chamber musician, and is earning an international reputation with recent and upcoming engagements in China and Korea. She served as hornist of the acclaimed Fifth House Ensemble from 2013-2016 and is a founding member of the newly formed Vancouver Brass Orchestra.

Valerie holds a DMA in Horn Performance from Northwestern University, and is a graduate of Northwestern University (MM) and Wheaton College (BM).

Katherine Evans, Trumpet

Praised for her “solo work of exceptional quality” by the Boston Globe, Katherine Evans is the principal trumpet of the Newport Symphony in Newport, OR and appeared as soloist with the orchestra in November 2018. Katherine previously held principal trumpet positions with orchestras around Boston, MA. In Vancouver, Katherine has performed with the Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Symphony, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Turning Point Ensemble and others. She is an active recitalist and was featured on a 2017 recording of Denis Bédard’s compositions on the Chéldar label. 

Katherine has also been a member of Musica Intima, Phoenix Chamber Choir, and the St. Andrews Oratorio Singers. She was featured in a Mendelssohn recording with the Christ Church Schola of Rochester, NY on Loft Records.

Katherine holds a M.Mus. in trumpet performance from the Longy School of Music and a B.A. in English and Music from Harvard University. She is currently Manager of Admissions for the UBC School of Music.