Elisa Koehler became the third president of the Historic Brass Society in January 2024 and previously served as HBS Vice President (President-Elect) from 2022-2024. Dr. Koehler is a trumpeter, conductor, and author, whose publications include Fanfares and Finesse: A Performer’s Guide to Trumpet History and Literature (Indiana University Press) and A Dictionary for the Modern Trumpet Player (Rowman & Littlefield). Her articles have appeared in numerous publications including the Conductors Guild Journal, Heritage Band Encyclopedia, The Brass Herald, and The New Grove Dictionary of American Music. A member of the editorial staff of the International Trumpet Guild Journal from 2002-2019, Dr. Koehler served on the ITG Board of Directors from 2017-2019 and as ITG Secretary from 2019-2021. She is currently Professor of Music at Winthrop University, where she conducts the orchestra and teaches courses in music technology, theory, and research.
As a trumpeter, Dr. Koehler has performed with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Brass Quintet, and as the solo trumpeter of Baltimore’s Bach Concert Series. She has performed and recorded on period instruments with the Bach Sinfonia, the Handel Choir of Baltimore, the Washington Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble, and Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band as both conductor and cornet soloist. She was previously the music director and conductor of the Frederick Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Music at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. With over ten years of experience in academic administration, Dr. Koehler has spearheaded several HBS organizational initiatives including rewriting the bylaws, creating a new general manager position, compiling a new board member handbook, creating a repository of HBS Journal back issues, and assisting with the creation of the new HBS Archive at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
