05/21/2026
⭐ Celebrating Our Retiring Musicians
Phil Elkins, Trumpet, 30 Years
Phil Elkins joined the trumpet section of the Greenville Symphony (SC) in 1996 and has served as Co-Principal Trumpet from 2002 to 2023. In October 2009, he was featured soloist with the Greenville Symphony under the direction of Edvard Tchivzhel in the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. In 2006 he was also featured in the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Trumpet.
In addition to the Greenville Symphony, Mr. Elkins frequently performed with the South Carolina Philharmonic, the Macon Symphony and the Columbus (GA) Symphony Orchestras. Prior to moving to Atlanta in 1986, he was a member of the Elgin Symphony (IL), the Illinois Philharmonic, and Charleston Symphony Orchestras (SC). An active freelance musician, Mr. Elkins frequently performs with the Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Ballet, Charleston, Savannah, Alabama, Augusta, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras.
As a performer of chamber music since 1976, he has appeared and recorded with many diverse brass ensembles, including the Atlanta Brassworks, the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet and the Greenville Brass Quintet. Mr. Elkins has performed extensively in Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, North Dakota, and California. He has presented masterclasses and clinics specializing in Chamber Music and Freelance Performance at Columbus State University, Furman University, Mercer University, Clemson University, and San Jose State University, and has published several arrangements for brass.
He was Visiting Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, the Instructor of Trumpet at Clayton State University, and has maintained a successful teaching studio for over 20 years. Previous teaching positions include Furman University, Greenville Tech, Georgia Military College, Kennesaw State University and the University of West Georgia. He received the Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Oklahoma, studying with Gary Stollsteimer, and the Master of Music in Performance from Northwestern University, where he studied with Vincent Cichowicz. While in Chicago he was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago where he studied with Adolph Herseth and Arnold Jacobs of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
In 2011 Mr. Elkins was named Director of Operations and Orchestra Personnel Manager of the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 2014 he was appointed to the same positions with the Greenville Symphony from 2015 until 2020.
