Meet the Musicians: Eden Garza

By Leilani Polk
 
Among the Seattle Symphony’s newest members this season, Trombone Eden Garza won his position not long after earning his master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He auditioned for his first symphony position excited by the prospect of working with exceptional musicians like Principal Trombone Ko-ichiro Yamamoto (“he’s a big name in the trombone world”) and Principal Tuba John DiCesare (“the chance to play with him was a dream”). He was also drawn to the area’s natural beauty and mild winters. “It just seemed like a really good place to be.”  

Garza was born and raised in a family of South Texas brass players; his dad is a band director and trumpeter, his older brother plays trumpet as well, and his granddad is a trombone player. Garza says he was immediately attracted to the trombone for its “cool low notes.” He picked it up the summer before sixth grade and by high school, was performing both jazz and classical music. “I played jazz because it was fun to learn the styles and understand the jazz way. But I’ve always known that the classical route was the way for me.”   

Highlights from his debut season with the Seattle Symphony include the first Masterworks concert, featuring Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” Symphony (“It was a bucket list piece for me and right off the bat, I got to play it!”); Pictures at an Exhibition, which he’d been listening to since he was a kid; his introduction to Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra; and playing right on the field at a few Seattle Mariners games. 

Outside of music, weightlifting is his other great passion. “It’s a big part of who I am,” he explains. “I was an overweight kid and I remember I was watching [the original] Predator with my grandpa. I saw Arnold Schwarzenegger and I was like, ‘Jesus, I want to look like that!’ I would sneak into the garage and do dumbbell curls, without my dad knowing because he didn’t want me lifting at that age. I just wanted to look like Arnold.” Garza's interest began with bodybuilding and took off when he started sports in middle school. By the time he was in high school, he was immersed in the bodybuilding culture and took part in five competitions. His segue into lifting was a natural progression after he decided on a career in music, and he remains dedicated to it, balancing regimented workouts with rehearsal and concert schedules. 

It was right around this time last year that Garza successfully auditioned with the Symphony, and he looks forward to closing the season with two major works: Prokofiev’s Suite from Romeo and Juliet, and Mahler’s Second Symphony. “Those concerts are gonna be absolutely epic.”