About Donavan Austin
Donavan Austin is a trailblazing trombonist, composer, arranger, and educator dedicated to his craft and determined to spread the joy of music throughout society. Hailing from a suburban area of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, where there wasn’t much jazz to be found, his love for jazz and the trombone stems from connections made during his time at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts.
After spending a semester at New York University, he transferred to the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase College, where his playing and appreciation for the art form deepened. From gigs in and around Manhattan to farther reaches of the tri-state area, Donavan continues building on countless hours of bandstand experience, drawing audiences closer to the sound of jazz. Working with five-time Grammy Award–winning vocalist Samara Joy, he holds the trombone chair while composing and arranging music for her large ensemble as they travel the world, including recent ventures to Europe, South America, and Oceania.
His personal project, The Octet, features an eight-piece jazz ensemble of like-minded musicians dedicated to arranging jazz music of the past while applying that style to their own compositions. “Having more than one person in the ensemble do the writing and arranging means we never get stuck in one sound or style,” says Donavan. “Everyone brings something different to the table.” The Octet represents just one of many passion projects in Donavan’s ongoing artistic development.
Whether it’s a live-streamed performance with The Octet, taking his trombone to city streets during a political protest, or soloing in front of thousands in Paris, Donavan is devoted to serving people through music—one beat at a time.
