TU alumnus Darius Christian no stranger to the limelight
Towson University music graduate performs with some of today's most prominent artists and recently was on SNL.
By Wanda Haskel on March 1, 2019
You鈥檝e probably seen Darius Christian 鈥�11 (and his trombone) on TV, live on stage, or in a video, even if you don鈥檛 realize it.
The musician and model has been in high demand since graduating from TU鈥檚 jazz/commercial performance program in 2011.
With diploma in hand, Christian took his chops straight to New York, pursuing a master鈥檚 at NYU and playing gigs at jazz clubs like the Blue Note.
Watch
Catch Darius on SNL
Darius Christian appeared on NBC鈥檚 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� on March 2, performing with
musical guest Thomas Rhett. Watch a clip of the performance .
But it didn鈥檛 take long for the genre-bending trombonist to chuck his tux and hit the stage and studio with some of today鈥檚 most prominent artists, including Rhianna, Adele, Macy Gray, Andy Grammar, Andrea Bocelli and Macklemore.
Check out videos from Macklemore鈥檚 2018 tour, and there he is swinging his trombone, locks flying, right behind the superstar.
Playing with Macklemore is 鈥渦nbelievable鈥� the most humbling and manic thing I鈥檝e ever experienced,鈥� says Christian, who crisscrossed the country and Europe with the Grammy-winning artist, performing hits like 鈥淕ood Old Days,鈥� 鈥淎in鈥檛 Gonna Die Tonight鈥� and 鈥淒owntown.鈥�
And oh, yeah, Kesha was there, too.
With Christian鈥檚 joyful face and fit physique, big brands like Nike, Hilfiger and Adidas have also taken note, contracting the Baltimore County native to model for major ad campaigns.
What鈥檚 more, he writes songs and sings.
Last year, Christian launched a solo endeavor alongside his collaborative work, fronting gigs and releasing professionally produced singles/videos featuring his rich vocals and agile trombone stylizations.
The musician credits Phillip Collister, chair of the Department of Music, with helping him have the confidence to put down the horn and sing.
Christian remembers an encounter when Collister, who took him under his wing, assured the jazz trombonist that his voice was up to professional snuff.
It means a lot 鈥渏ust to hear that in the background, just to have that support.鈥�
TU faculty, including Collister, Jim McFalls and Dave Ballou, Christian adds, 鈥渨ere incredible mentors.鈥�
Cheesin cause I鈥檓 performing on #SNL this week 馃槶馃暫馃従馃挏 @nbcsnl . . . #saturdaynightlive #snl #performance #hornsection #horns #brass #trombone #cheesing #excited
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Note: This story originally appeared in the Fall 2018 edition of COFAC Today.