John Kilgore

Assistant Professor
Trumpet
Email: jrkilgor@ksu.edu
Office: 232 McCain Auditorium

Trumpeter John Kilgore maintains a diverse career serving as Principal Trumpet of the Boise Philharmonic and as Instructor of Trumpet at Kansas State University.

Kilgore joined the Boise Philharmonic as Principal Trumpet in 2017. He also performs the same position with the Philharmonic Chamber Players and Brass Quintet. In addition he performs principal trumpet for Ballet Idaho productions, on CINE Concert tours, and additional commercial music productions in the treasure valley. During the summer, Kilgore is a member of the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra, Festival Band and Faculty Brass Quintet in Twin Lake, MI. Prior to joining the Boise Philharmonic, he was a member of the Ocala (FL) Symphony Orchestra and a doctoral student at Florida State University. He has performed guest principal trumpet with the Boise Baroque Chamber Orchestra, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, and as a section trumpet with the West Virginia Symphony, and Lexington (KY) Philharmonic.

Since 2019, Kilgore has been on faculty at Kansas State University (KSU) where he teaches graduate and undergraduate trumpet majors and minors, trumpet ensemble, graduate and undergraduate methods and repertoire courses. He also performs as a member of the KSU Faculty Brass Quintet. Additionally, Kilgore is an active adjudicator, and recent examples include the Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Brass Competition, and the Sphinx Organization Orchestral Partners Auditions. Prior his appointment at KSU, Kilgore taught applied trumpet and chamber music at Boise State University and at Florida State University.

As an active clinician and teacher, Kilgore regularly presents masterclasses, lectures, and performances throughout North America. Recent university engagements include The Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri Kansas City, The University of Colorado Boulder, The College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, Memorial University of Newfoundland (CA), The University of Idaho, Wichita State University, Oklahoma State University, Ithaca College among others. Committed to teaching youth musicians, Kilgore serves on the trumpet faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, MI where he teaches high school trumpet majors and coaches brass sectionals.

As a scholar, Kilgore is a regular contributor to the International Trumpet Guild Journal. His recent publication: Chamber Music: Creating Your Own Artistic Experiences details foundational elements to assist in creating and supporting a chamber ensemble. At the 2022 International Trumpet Guild Conference in San Antonio, TX, Kilgore is presenting the lecture: From New Jersey to Cincinnati: The Life and Career of Classical Trumpeter Philip Collins. The lecture represents original research detailing the life and career of Collins, retired Principal Trumpet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Kilgore is the founding member of the Kansas State University Trumpet Guild ITG Affiliate Chapter, and serves as the Kansas Chairperson for the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI).

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Kilgore holds a Doctor of Music degree in Performance from Florida State University, a Master of Music in Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Ohio University. His primary teachers include John Schlabach, Alan Siebert, Philip Collins, Dr. Christopher Moore with additional studies from Marie Speziale.