Biography

Brian Winegardner is currently Second/Associate Principal Trumpet with the Knoxville Symphony and is a member of the Knoxville Symphony Brass Quintet, which was created in 2024 and primarily performs educational and chamber music concerts in eastern Tennessee. He started performing with the Knoxville Symphony in this position during the 2015-2016 season. An active orchestral performer, he also serves as Principal Trumpet of the Augusta Symphony (Augusta, GA), and Second/Associate Principal Trumpet of the South Carolina Philharmonic (Columbia, SC). In the past, he was a trumpet section member of the Charlotte Symphony (Charlotte, NC), the Miami Symphony (Miami, FL), and the Saginaw Bay Symphony (Saginaw, MI). Additionally, he has had the opportunity to perform with and be on the substitute list for a number of orchestras throughout the United States, including the Seattle Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Orlando Philharmonic, and Florida Grand Opera.

As a recipient of the UM Fellowship (one of the highest awards offered by the University of Miami Graduate School), he was awarded his DMA in Trumpet Performance from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. His dissertation, “A Performer’s Guide to Concertos for Trumpet and Orchestra by Lowell Liebermann and John Williams,” has been downloaded over 9,500 times by readers across the globe and has been cited in numerous subsequent scholarly works. He earned Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in Trumpet Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in History degree from the University of Michigan. His principal teachers have included Craig Morris, William Campbell, and Jean Moorhead Libs. He has had additional studies with Barbara Butler, James Wilt, Robert Sullivan, Mark Hughes, Mark Niehaus, and John Rommel.

Dr. Winegardner is a Yamaha performing artist and serves as Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, NC, having joined the faculty in 2022. He previously was Adjunct Professor of Trumpet and Director of the Brass Ensemble at Limestone University from 2017 to 2024.

Away from the performance stage and classroom, Brian enjoys travelling, hiking, sports, and all things related to Star Wars.