Carolyn Trowbridge Austin Percussionist

​Austin Music Award-nominated multi-instrumental musician, performer, and composer, Carolyn Trowbridge is an energetic, multifaceted artist. Her innovative fluency with her craft creates sonic experiences, fueled by a zealous passion for all things “sound”.

She has recorded, collaborated and performed with several well-known artists including Jaime WyattAdrian QuesadaStar ParksAlex Coke/Carl Michel SextetBilly SheehanHard ProofTracii Guns, Grammy Award nominees Black Pumas and many more. In 2023, Trowbridge established her own 5-piece project, Found Memories, an evocative homage to all the impactful moments within her mind, from a spirited grackle attack to the winding staircase of her Czech childhood home.

In 2009, Trowbridge performed with Grammy-winning choir A Company of Voices for a PBS special, going on to support Snoop Dogg’s performance at ACL Live at the Moody Theater with KP and the Boom Boom in 2014 and making further appearances at both SXSW and ACL festivals over multiple years, most recently with Adrian Quesada's Boleros Psicodélicos which also included a live taping.

In addition to her projects and regular performance schedule, Trowbridge is an established music educator with 20+ years of experience teaching theory, composition and practical skills, delivering masterclasses across the country and competing internationally. In 2018, she co-directed the Walsh Middle School percussion ensemble, leading them to win the award of the International Percussion Ensemble Competition, where they performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. She is also an active member of Austin’s steel band community, performing at private events and weddings, as well as alongside the Inside Out Steel band and performing at Trinidad and Tobago’s Panorama, an annual music competition of steel bands.

Special THANK YOU to Lizbel Garcia for this artfully crafted biography.

Extended biography

Original COMPOSITIONS

Carolyn’s charts, arranged by CJ Menge for steel band are

NOW AVAILABLE for purchase through Boxfish Music.

Since graduating from The University of Texas at Austin in 2007 with an MA in Performance after completing a BA in Music at the James Madison University in Virginia, Trowbridge has made a significant contribution to the Austin music scene, exploring musical genres such as pop, rock, world, jazz, soul, and experimental, through an emotive performance style and stellar command of instruments that include the vibraphone, steel drum and keyboard.  

Carolyn lives in Austin, Texas with her composer/sound designer husband, Mike Vernusky, their two vibrant children and an adorable cat named Zero. Running, swimming, figure-skating and producing amusing short-form videos are just some of the leisurely pursuits enjoyed during any spare time.