Schedule
Sunday, August 10, 2025 at 8:00 pm (Main Stage)
Troy Andrews aka Trombone Shorty, is no stranger to our mountain home. Without fail he delivers electrifying sets that make the canyon walls glow and the moon rise in the sky. Shorty channels his New Orleans forebears with every note he wrings from his trombone, the slide a wizard’s wand pulling tradition and musical innovation from the bell to the mountaintops. Second line, hip-hop, R&B – those are all on Trombone Shorty’s menu and he's serves it up with lagniappe.
Since the age of four, when the trombone was taller than the little boy blowing into it, he’s been a sensation. That’s when he appeared on stage with Bo Diddly at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. By kindergarten, he had his own band, and when he hit his teens, rock star Lenny Kravitz hired him to join the band for his Electric Church World Tour. When Troy hit his 20s, he was already a seasoned road warrior, and an in-demand horn player. From festival stages to the White House, he’s performed around the globe. Since 2010, he’s released five albums and his collaborations are many. As in, how much time do you have? Really, from Bruno Mars, Ringo Starr and Pharrell, to Zac Brown, Mark Ronson and the Foo Fighters, it seems everyone is on the phone wanting him to say yes. And dig it, he’s got his own Muppet, too.
The love for music that Trombone Shorty shares with the world is not just reserved for adoring audiences. He’s the leader of the Trombone Shorty Foundation, an exchange program that travels to Cuba to host workshops and play shows over a five-day span. The educational opportunities the Foundation have made possible has benefited hundreds of students. By the time you read this, he will have made his fourth trip to Cuba.
Troy believes in the unifying power of music. It heals, it uplifts, it inspires, it transports. The little boy that took so well to his instrument all those years ago, is still in there. The unfettered joy and the unconditional commitment to his craft is the stuff of goosebumps. An indelible image of Shorty was caught by one of our festival photographers the last time he played our stage. He spine is arched backward, the horn pointing straight up to the stars, and we see a man pouring his soul into that last, breathtaking note. Welcome back, Troy.