Meet The Band
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Scott Nadelson - Trumpet
Scott is an avid chamber musician and the founder of C Street Brass. He brings a unique artistic versatility to the group that enables him to showcase his skills through classical, jazz, commercial, and chamber music.
Currently living in Pittsburgh, Scott is the Assistant Principal Cornet for the River City Brass Band. He also plays lead trumpet for Beauty Slap(electro-funk), the NASCAR Awards Show Band, and the Nu Deco Ensemble a contemporary orchestra in Miami, FL. In addition, Scott plays regularly at the Kennedy Center for Mason Bates’ KC Jukebox new music series.
Scott began his love affair with trumpet at the age of 12, studying from New York freelancing god Chris Jaudes and was one of two trumpet performers to win the prestigious New Jersey State Governors School award. While earning his MM’ from Carnegie Mellon and his BM’ from Peabody Conservatory Scott not only honed his love for music but for great coffee, rye whiskey, and barbeque as well.
Micah Holt - Trumpet
Micah Holt is a dynamic performer and educator based in Pittsburgh, PA. He serves as Principal Trumpet with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, 3rd trumpet in the Erie Philharmonic, and 3rd trumpet with the West Virginia Symphony. As a chamber musician, Micah is the newest addition to C Street brass and a member of The Brass Roots. Micah is also the trumpet professor at Slippery Rock University where he teaches trumpet and other music courses. In addition to his permanent positions, Micah has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera, Charleston (SC) Symphony, Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, CityMusic Cleveland and with the New World Symphony.
He received his BA at the University of Northern Colorado, MM at the University of Louisville, DMA at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an Advanced Musical Studies Certificate at Carnegie Mellon University. In his doctoral thesis, “Applied Anatomy in Music: Body Mapping for Trumpeters,” he explores misconceptions trumpeters and other musicians carry regarding their body structure and how this effects their approach to practicing and performing on their instrument.
In addition to his work in music, Micah is an avid climber and professional route-setter (a person that builds indoor climbing routes.) Micah sets regularly for local and regional climbing competitions and is a member of the Ascend Pittsburgh route-setting team. When he’s not climbing, performing, or teaching Micah is most likely at home spending time with his wonderful fiance, Stefanie and their cat, Pocket.
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Gabriel Colby - Trombone
Gabriel Colby is a trombonist, teacher, recording artist, and certified trainer based in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the trombone professor at Slippery Rock University and an active performer. He serves as principal trombone for Nu Deco Ensemble, a cutting-edge chamber orchestra operating out of Miami, Florida, and co-principal trombone for River City Brass Band.
Gabriel's biggest passions are his work with C Street Brass and Beauty Slap, two self-founded groups that Gabriel plays in and manages. C Street Brass performs a wide variety of genres leaning on self-arranged material in recital halls and performing arts centers across the country. Beauty Slap, comprised of horns, keys, and electronics, is a “future-brass-thunder-funk” force of nature that tours nationally and plays sold-out shows in and around Pittsburgh. Both groups are focused on education and have given workshops at prestigious colleges such as Juilliard, Carnegie Mellon University, University of South Carolina, San Francisco State University, California State University Stanislaus, and others. Gabriel's passion for chamber music shines in his work with these groups and his dedication to educating the next generation of musicians.
As a speaker, Gabriel has given workshops and seminars on both the business of music and movement, fitness, and pain solutions for musicians at West Virginia University, Third Coast Trombone Retreat, Carnegie Mellon University, and other institutions. Gabriel utilizes his personal experience recovering from injury and studying a variety of movement disciplines to help musicians and non-musicians alike become pain-free and feel more confident, playful, and powerful in their bodies.
In his free time, Gabriel enjoys all kinds of fitness training, golf, rock climbing, and eating ice cream. His love for music, fitness, and education is evident in all aspects of his life, and he strives to inspire and motivate those around him. Gabriel holds a B.M. and G.P.D. from Peabody Conservatory and an M.M. from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jon Carroll- Horn
Hailed by the New York Times for having “impressive confidence”, Jon has been a member of C Street Brass since 2015. In addition to performing around the country with C Street Brass, Jon is a sought-after performer in New York City. Recent highlights include a Live from Lincoln Center broadcast of “The Music of Danny Elfman” in conjunction with Lincoln Center Festival and performing alongside his first teacher, David Jolley, in the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society.
Jon has performed with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Sarasota Opera, The West Point Band, and New York Pops. In 2017 Jon was the Associate Principal Horn of the Orquesta Filharmonico de Jalisco, in Guadalajara. Jon was also part of the orchestra that backed up the Grateful Dead on their last tour in 2014. An active Broadway performer as well, Jon has performed in Cinderella, The Lion King, On The Town, The King and I, Honeymoon in Vegas, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Wicked, Carousel, The Phantom of the Opera, and King Kong.
Jon received his Master of Music Degree from The Juilliard School and his Bachelor’s degree from Mannes College. He also attended North Carolina School of the Arts in high school.
Aside from performing Jon is an avid cyclist and skier. Having grown up in the mountains of North Carolina these activities were just as much part of his life as music was. He and his wife are shamelessly committed to raising their two perfect cats, Henry and Luna.
Hakeem Bilal - Bass Trombone
Proudly hailing from Washington, D.C., Hakeem Bilal is one of the most sought-after trombonists today. His performances have been called “A dynamic concert experience” by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and he has been featured on Pittsburgh Today Live on CBS and Talking Pittsburgh on NBC. Mr. Bilal performs across many genres of music with ease and teaches internationally. Most recently, he performed a three week tour of Asia, performed at theIndianapolis 500, and taught masterclasses in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Beijing, China. Mr. Bilal holds degrees from The Peabody Conservatory and Carnegie Mellon University and now resides in Pittsburgh, PA.
Mr. Bilal is the Assistant Professor of Trombone at West Virginia University and remains in high demand as an orchestral player and soloist. He is a regular extra with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony; he has recently performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and West Virginia Symphony. He also serves as the Bass Trombonist of C Street Brass, a member of River City Brass, and the MC of Beauty Slap. Mr. Bilal was featured as a guest artist at the 2016 Trombone Summit in Fort Worth, Texas and was invited to perform at the 2018 International Trombone Festival in Iowa. His main teachers include Randall Campora of the Baltimore Symphony, Dr. Denson Paul Pollard of the Metropolitan Opera, Dr. David Begnoche of Texas Christian University, and Murray Crewe of the Pittsburgh Symphony.
Outside of making music, Hakeem loves to build things. Whether it is constructing an innovative cocktail from behind the bar, or building computers, he loves creating on all levels. Some things you may not know about Hakeem: Other than being an award winning mixologist, aspiring chef, and former teen heartthrob, he has been known to randomly break into dance and will find any reason to fire up the grill. Hakeem enjoys great coffee, video games, and beef ribs (not necessarily in that order).
