When he was 10, Irvin Wagner was Christmas shopping with his parents when he found himself amazed by a trombone in a store window.
From a small county in rural Kansas, Wagner grew up to become one of the founding members of the Oklahoma Brass Quintet and conducted the OU Trombone Choir. According to Karen Wright, Wagner’s youngest daughter, he was the only person to hold the professor of trombone position at OU.
“For whoever follows, that becomes big shoes to fit,” Wright said.
Wagner showed his passion for music through his teaching, Wright said, and loved to support his students in their concerts.
He helped and inspired students and family in any way he could, Janet Gorton, his middle daughter, said.
“He is one of the few people I've ever known whose life, passion and job are a hundred percent aligned, and it is a very rare thing,” Gorton said.
On Sept. 15, Wagner died at 86 from lung cancer. A memorial service is scheduled for the spring of 2024. Wright said he will always be remembered for his humility, passion for music and love for his students.
Wagner had a tremendous love for his family, Gorton said. Her favorite memories of her dad include his jokes, music lessons and a big energy that lit up the room.
“He was extremely positive in his outlook and his life perspective,” Gorton said. “He was one hundred percent passionate in his love for sharing music with others.”
Wagner was a “do-er,” Gorton said, who always had the energy and fearlessness to do everything he wanted to achieve.
When he was a kid, Wagner grew up surrounded by music. His sister played the accordion, his mother the guitar and his father the harmonica. Wright said the family would play gospel quartets at churches, which grew his passion for music.
“(Then) It was the magical day when he saw the trombone in the store window and decided that he was interested in playing it. Once he did that, he never looked back,” Gorton said.
In high school, Wagner played as both offensive and defensive lineman for the football team and the high school band, Wright said. After much thinking, he decided to pursue a career in music.
Wagner graduated from McPherson College in Kansas in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in music education. After graduating, he met and married his wife, JoAnn Bielefeldt, that same year. They were married for 63 years until Bielefeldt died in 2021.
Gorton said her parents loved each other dearly and were destined to be together.
“It's really because of all her efforts that allowed him to do all the things he did,” Gorton said. “The life of a musician is a very unique schedule. It is not a normal, 9-to-5 job. You have rehearsals in the evening and they're doing things on the weekend. So she really enabled all of that to happen for him. They were a very good combo.”
The couple had three daughters: Brenda Wagner, Wright and Gorton.
After getting his degree, he went to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and studied under Emory Remington, known as one of the most outstanding brass instrument professors in the world.
After finishing his master’s degree in 1961, Wagner started teaching at McPherson College, then moved back to Rochester to earn his doctorate degree in trombone performance and pedagogy in 1968.
Right after earning his doctorate degree, Wagner worked at Louisiana State University as a brass instructor, and then, in 1969, came to OU to become the first, and only, trombone professor in university history.
The OU Trombone Choir was conducted by Irvin Wagner, a founding member of the Oklahoma Brass Quintet who died of lung cancer on Sept. 15.
Brian Dobbins, tuba and euphonium associate professor of music, met Wagner in 2002 when Dobbins came to OU to audition for his job position, and they started working together in 2003.
Dobbins said the first meeting was fantastic and that he was very fortunate to have the privilege of meeting him.
Wagner always pushed students to work hard to become better musicians, Dobbins said, but also to have fun with it and love the music.
“He was just one of the nicest human beings anyone could ever meet,” Dobbins said. “He was never really critical of his students or colleagues. He was always one to build them up and support them.”
Wagner’s teaching philosophy was to not only help students become better musicians, but also better people, Wright said, even outside of his classroom.
“He went to all the various band and orchestra concerts on campus because he wanted to support his studio kids who were playing in those ensembles,” Wright said. “On Saturday mornings on game day, he was always down there with the Pride (of Oklahoma) for warm-ups.”
During his time at OU, Wagner was recognized as a David Ross Boyd Professor and Regents Professor of Trombone. In 2021, he was awarded the President’s Award by the Oklahoma Music Educators Association.
Wagner has performed for four U.S. presidents and played for Pope John Paul II on several occasions, Wright said. He was a member of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, a conductor of the OU Trombone Choir and a founding member of the Oklahoma Brass Quintet.
Irvin Wagner, a founding member of the Oklahoma Brass Quintet and OU Trombone Choir conductor, died of lung cancer on Sept. 15. He performed for Pope John Paul II on several occasions.
In 1984, Wagner took a sabbatical and traveled around the world, with a mission to form trombone organizations around the world, Gorton said. Around that time, he was the president of the International Trombone Association.
He traveled and performed in countries like Argentina, Australia and France. Gorton said he was also invited to play at the Paris Conservatory of Music.
Even though he was recognized around the country and the world, Wagner was always humble about his career, Dobbins said. He recalled witnessing Wagner getting recognized by strangers on several occasions and would always talk with them with joy.
One time, during their search for a new professor, Wagner received a phone call while on a Zoom meeting with his colleagues, Dobbins said.
“It was the Paris Conservatory, who were calling to sing him happy birthday,” Dobbins said. “We got to witness the Paris Conservatory call him to sing happy birthday with five faculty members.”
Wright said her dad’s greatest accomplishment was helping establish a love for music and passion in people. She said Wagner treated everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of who they were.
“He was just kind and engaged with others with a genuine respect and humility and seeking to hold them with the utmost dignity. He didn't think himself better than anyone else,” Wright said.
Wagner was diagnosed with lung cancer in the spring of 2023, Wright said, and, while it was hard news for everyone, that didn’t stop him.
Dobbins said Wagner was still teaching and performing while undergoing chemotherapy.
“(Wagner) never stopped until he physically couldn't. Even at the beginning of the fall semester, he was still coming in to work with his trombone choir. He just never stopped,” Dobbins said.
Even when times were hard, Wagner always showed up for his students with passion and love until his last breath. Dobbins said he will always be remembered for his hard work and dedication to music and the legacy he will leave behind.
Dobbins said he hopes Wagner’s legacy continues after his death as he changed many lives, including his own.
“I hope that the next professor that comes in truly understands who he was. I hope they knew him. I hope they knew what was special to him. I hope that they are the ones that continue that,” Dobbins said. “I'm hoping above all, the love of music is what is kept in that studio. And in my studio, and every musician's studio across the nation. That would be the greatest honor for Earth is everyone just enjoys music.”
Wagner is survived by his three daughters: Brenda, Janet and Karen; and his four grandchildren: Joshua, Jayson, Lucas, and Sarah. He was preceded in death by his wife, JoAnn; his parents, Orval and Florence Wagner; and his sister, Velva.
This story was edited by Alexia Aston, Taylor Jones and Peggy Dodd. Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
