Daniel Cosio

Contact Information

Professional/Academic Experience

Daniel J. Cosio is the Assistant Professor of Trombone at the University of Northern Colorado, a position he is proud to have earned in 2024. Equally comfortable in both classical and jazz settings, Daniel holds the position of Section Bass Trombone with the Helena Symphony Orchestra, and enjoys an avid career of freelancing with groups like the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra (MJO) and Orquesta La Brava.

An expert on doubling, Daniel’s arsenal of instruments has expanded to include the soprano, alto, tenor, bass, and contrabass trombones, euphonium, bass trumpet, bass guitar, and B2 vocals. His trombone performance acumen has allowed him to perform with the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs, the Longmont Symphony Orchestra, the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Mississippi Valley Orchestra, along with his duties at the Helena Symphony Orchestra. Besides the MJO, Daniel’s jazz experience includes performances with the William & the Romantics Big Band, the Flatirons Jazz Orchestra, the Basically Basie Big Band, the Pecos River Brass Big Band, and the After Hours Big Band, with which Daniel was featured as a soloist alongside saxophonist Grace Kelly. Daniel’s performing obligations also encompass choral performance, with ensembles such as the Ars Nova Singers, Minnesota Chorale, and Dallas Chamber Choir, and leading the Buffalo Brass Company, an independent brass quintet based out of Boulder.

Daniel is also an avid composer, arranger, and supporter of new music. Two of his jazz writings, Avec Tout Mon Amour and Some More Blues, debuted in consecutive years at the University of Minnesota Jazz Festival by the Jazz 1 Big Band, and Daniel’s arrangement of Turbo Scramjet for trombone choir was featured on his YouTube page as an overdub. Commissions that Daniel has supported include Arise for trombone and string quartet by Nicola Ferro, The Pull of a Greater Tide for trombone, tenor voice, and piano by David Faleris, Through the Vaulting Skies for trombone choir by Chris Evan Hass, and Grief for trombone soloist (on five trombones) and piano, to be released in 2025.

For over a decade, Daniel is proud to have had a multitude of students across the Dallas/Fort Worth, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, and Boulder/Denver areas. Student accomplishments include All-State & Honor Band musicians in multiple states, undergraduate enrollment at Texas Women’s University & Texas A&M Commerce, becoming finalists for the Bruce P. Carlson and Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist competitions, salaried music positions within Dallas, Forney, and Commerce Independent School Districts, and a position in the 395th Army Band. Outside of his work at UNC, Daniel maintains his private studio and additionally gives masterclasses, guest recitals, and lectures.

Daniel is finishing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he works with Dr. Sterling Tanner. His dissertation projects include recording a solo CD that features Grief, and composing a paper discussing the use of alternative instruments (besides tuba) in the bottom chair of a brass quintet, such as euphonium, bass trombone, and contrabass trombone. Daniel is a proud alum of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (2022), where he studied with Dr. John Tranter, and the University of North Texas (2020), where he was taught by Tony Baker & Philip Graham. Daniel is honored to have worked with other incredible pedagogues, such as Brian Hecht, Mark Kellogg, James Nova, Toby Oft, John Sipher, Dr. William Stanley, and Dr. Jeannie Little.

Outside of music, Daniel enjoys cooking, get-togethers at his home with friends, Mario Kart tournaments, and doting on his loving family. Daniel lives in Boulder with his fiancée and their cat, Ceviche.