Michael Wilkinson joins the faculty this fall

Michael Wilkinson will be joining the faculty at USC as the new trombone professor this coming fall semester. He and his wife and two boys will be moving to Columbia from Orlando, Florida, where he has spent the last six years as an assistant professor of music in applied trombone and jazz studies at the University of Central Florida. In Orlando, he has performed with the Brass Band of Central Florida, the Orlando Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra, and the Orlando Jazz Orchestra, as well as the UCF Jazz Professors.

Wilkinson came to UCF from Arizona via New York State, where he served as the Visiting Instructor of Trombone at The Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY (2010-2011).

Prior to his first cross-country move, Michael was a faculty associate in jazz studies at Arizona State University where he also completed a doctorate in trombone performance (2013). He has a master’s degree in trombone performance from Arizona State University (2009), a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Arizona (1998), and is an alumnus of the Disney/Grammy All-American College Jazz Band (EPCOT Center, summer 1996).

Previously, he taught middle school band in Tucson, Arizona, for eight years, building his program into one of the best in the region. Also while in Tucson, he spent nine years as the musical director, lead trombonist, sound engineer and auxiliary percussionist for a local salsa band.

Wilkinsonl’s first solo jazz CD, "Wait for Me!” was recently released through Random Act Records. He can also be heard as a featured jazz soloist on the recent Brass Band of Central Florida CD release, “15,” and can also be heard on Flying Horse Record’s, “En Plein Air” and "Do That Again."

Wilkinson has recently become an S.E. Shires Trombone Artist. He plays tenor trombone, bass trombone, alto trombone, F contrabass trombone, and euphonium and has studied with Tom Ervin, Gail Wilson, Ralph Sauer and Sam Pilafian.