Associate Principal Trumpet
Steven Franklin (On Leave)
Franklin earned his bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music studying with David Bilger. He attended the National Orchestral Institute in 2015, performing as principal trumpet on Copland’s Appalachian Spring for Naxos Records.
In addition to his career as a trumpet player, Franklin is an active composer. He has been commissioned by the American Brass Quintet and Lake Placid Sinfonietta. He also enjoys writing chamber music for his musician friends, including members of the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and Boston Symphony. His typically post-romantic style “looks back longingly to the abiding tonal sensibilities of Richard Strauss” (Philadelphia Inquirer). He loves to travel and has been all over the world as both teacher and performer. He has most recently given masterclasses in Medellin, Colombia and Zhengzhou, China. In the summer of 2019, he traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, to compete in the Tchaikovsky Competition. His hobbies include hiking, skiing and trying to make his wife laugh.
Steven Franklin joined the Kansas City Symphony in 2019. Previously he was a member of the New World Symphony and principal trumpet of the Hawaii Symphony. He has performed as guest principal trumpet with the Chicago Symphony under Riccardo Muti, guest principal trumpet with the Columbus Symphony, and a frequent substitute with the Rochester Philharmonic. In the summer, Franklin performs with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. As a soloist, he has appeared with the New World Symphony, Ocean City Pops, Lynn Philharmonia and Masterworks Festival Orchestra. He has won first prize in numerous competitions including the Roger Voisin Memorial Trumpet Competition, the International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition and the National Trumpet Competition. The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote of his playing, “You couldn’t hope to hear a more correct and pristine trumpet solo than the one turned in by Steven Franklin.”
Franklin earned his bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music studying with David Bilger. He attended the National Orchestral Institute in 2015, performing as principal trumpet on Copland’s Appalachian Spring for Naxos Records.
In addition to his career as a trumpet player, Franklin is an active composer. He has been commissioned by the American Brass Quintet and Lake Placid Sinfonietta. He also enjoys writing chamber music for his musician friends, including members of the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and Boston Symphony. His typically post-romantic style “looks back longingly to the abiding tonal sensibilities of Richard Strauss” (Philadelphia Inquirer). He loves to travel and has been all over the world as both teacher and performer. He has most recently given masterclasses in Medellin, Colombia and Zhengzhou, China. In the summer of 2019, he traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, to compete in the Tchaikovsky Competition. His hobbies include hiking, skiing and trying to make his wife laugh.