Gene Watts
Eugene "Gene" Watts is an American and Canadian trombonist and a founding member of the Canadian Brass, a brass quintet based in Canada, known worldwide for its virtuosic skill, broad range of musical fare, and humorous presentation style.
Watts was born in Missouri, and studied at the University of Missouri School of Music in Columbia and the New England Conservatory in Boston. He served as an orchestral trombonist for several American orchestras. He was hand-picked by conductor Seiji Ozawa as principal trombonist for the Toronto Symphony, where he met Charles Daellenbach, and persuaded him to start the Canadian Brass in 1970.
In 2010, he retired from touring, and is now listed as an "Emeritus" member of the Canadian Brass. He currently resides in Toronto. He is a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation program, having been trained in India personally by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
