Ryan Christianson is a multifaceted freelance trombonist and educator in Chicago, IL. As an orchestral performer, Ryan has held principal positions with the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra and the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra. As a jazz artist, Ryan has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, the Winnipeg Jazz Festival, and has appeared on numerous recordings with big bands and New Orleans-style brass bands. As a commercial and rock musician, Ryan has appeared on the Vans’ Warped Tour, at the North Coast Music Festival, and even on ABC’s Shark Tank.

A dedicated educator, Ryan has maintained a studio of private lessons students around the Chicagoland area, and held positions at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Millikin University. He is also an artist/clinician for Conn-Selmer instruments and Denis Wick products and has been featured as a guest artist at jazz festivals, music educator conferences, and trombone days throughout the Midwest.

Ryan holds degrees from the University of Minnesota, DePaul University, and is currently finishing his doctorate in Trombone Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.