Grace Berendt

Grace Berendt fell in love with the trombone after attending her first jazz concert when she was 3 years old, and began playing the trombone at age 9. She initially took lessons with her mom, a French horn player, and then started studying with Eric Richmond at The Music Settlement in the seventh grade. She currently studies with Eric Richmond and Richard Stout.

Grace’s first ensemble experience was with Jazz at the Music Settlement (J@MS). She also performed in the Akron Youth Philharmonic and Akron Youth Symphony during middle school.

Grace joined the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO) in 2022 and won the 2025 COYO Concerto Competition. She also participated in the All-State Orchestra in 2026, the Northeast Ohio Regional Orchestra in 2024 and 2025, and the Kent State All-Star Band in 2025. In the Summer of 2025, she was an associate tenor trombonist in the Cleveland Trombone Seminar Program and performed in a masterclass led by Cristina Cutts. In Spring 2025, Grace performed in a solo masterclass led by Elisabeth Shafer at the CSU Cleveland Trombone Day. She was also selected to debut an original work for solo trombone through the Cleveland Composer’s Guild.

Grace served as drum major of the Aurora High School Marching band in 2024 and 2025. She is the Wind Ensemble section leader and also plays the euphonium as needed. She enjoys playing in the pit orchestra for the Aurora High School musicals and sings alto in the choir. Grace has received superior ratings at Solo and Ensemble since 2022 and led a school trombone quartet for Solo and Ensemble in 2026. She also teaches trombone lessons for middle-school students.

Grace plays at multiple churches and community events throughout the year with her family brass quartet, KB brass. In 2024, she and her twin older brothers were also selected to perform an original composition for brass trio through the Cleveland Composer’s Guild. Grace has also played in the Freedom Brass Band for the past three years.

In her free time, Grace enjoys running cross country, spending time with her family, traveling, and sewing — and is very proud to have worn her own creations for homecoming events. She is a member of the National Honors Society and enjoys tutoring younger students in Spanish. Grace aspires to be a professional orchestral musician. Grace plays a Conn 88HCL trombone.