Seventeen-year-old trombonist and vocalist Ian Sellers is a senior at Central High School in Philadelphia, where his commitment to music is evident in his membership in the concert band, jazz band, and symphonic orchestra. Outside of his school, Ian plays in the jazz band of the Temple Music Prep Community Music Scholars Program, and was selected for the concert band at the All-City High School Music Festival.
Ian is a 2025-2026 Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts’ All-City Jazz Fellow and was recognized with an honorable mention for best solo at the William Tennent High School Jazz Fest. In addition to music, Ian enjoys swimming, water polo and bodybuilding, and hopes to attend college to study jazz education and performance.
10 Questions with Ian Sellers:
1. How do you approach improvisation in your performances?
I approach improvisation as its own separate art form, I start by listening to what the other soloists have done before me and try to build off of that, but my main building block is the melody of the song.
2. Can you describe your favorite performance experience so far? What made it memorable for you?
My favorite performance experience was Wrestlemania with the All-City Orchestra. It was a fun night being a part of professional wrestling's biggest event, and as a huge wrestling fan, it was so cool to meet a lot of the wrestlers I'm fans of.
3. How do you navigate working with other musicians, and what do you think makes a great ensemble dynamic?
I navigate working with other musicians like I navigate being on a team, everyone has the same goals as me; everyone wants the team to play good and for themselves to play good. I think a good ensemble dynamic is made when everyone has the same goal in mind, which is to make sure the ensemble sounds good.
4. How do you stay inspired and continue to develop your skills as a musician?
I stay inspired because I want to make myself proud, ever since I started high school I've had a particular goal in mind for music and that goal is what drives me to improve year after year.
5. What advice would you give to aspiring young jazz musicians who want to make a name for themselves?
Don't let yourself be your own worst enemy, play the tunes you love, and find people that motivate you to be better.
6. Are there any particular challenges you've faced as a young jazz musician, and how have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge has been self-confidence, the only way to overcome it for me was to find it in myself that the compliments people were giving me about my playing were true.
7. What do you hope to achieve in your music career over the next few years?
I hope to be playing in a college band and hopefully releasing music on my own outside of school.
8. Is there a specific venue or festival where you dream of performing someday?
Superbowl.
9. What’s your favorite thing about Philadelphia?
The music history around Philadelphia.
10. What advice would you give your 9-year-old self?
I'd tell him to keep his head up and that everything is gonna work out.
