about
Craig lives in Greenville SC where he performs, teaches, and pursues a variety of interests. He has degrees in trumpet performance from Yale School of Music (MM) and Furman University (BM). Craig recently won the Second Trumpet position in the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra and performs frequently with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, GAMAC Orchestra, West End Brass Quintet, GSO Brass Quintet, Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band, Project X Big Band, Foothills Brass Band, and on occasion the Asheville Symphony, Spartanburg Philharmonic, and South Carolina Philharmonic.
Past highlights include performances at New York City’s Lincoln Center with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Broadway shows on local stops, Ringling Bros Circus, opening band for Wilco, Battle of the Bands winner at Toad’s Place in New Haven, and orchestras with Johnny Mathis, Andrea Bocelli, Edwin McCain, and Bela Fleck.
Craig currently teaches trumpet at the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Converse University, and North Greenville University, where he also served as Director of Jazz Bands for six years. Craig has also taught Jazz History and Music Appreciation courses at NGU and Furman University.
After suffering a lip injury his junior year of college, Craig began what proved to be a very long road to recovery. He spent many years working through different embouchures and methods, eventually finding what works, all the while developing a very intimate understanding of all approaches and a keen ear for detecting playing problems. Craig now enthusiastically provides help and strategies to players dealing with embouchure issues.
Craig is currently completing an album of original songs, due in the near future. His 2017 album Blue Metropolis is available on vinyl, CD, Apple Music and Spotify.
In his spare time, Craig is painting portraits (www.craigkingart.com), roasting coffee for Two Giants Coffee Nanoroaster, and perfecting his Neapolitan pizza recipes.
lessons
I've done just about every wrong thing that a trumpet player can do. I stretched for high notes. I didn't warmup. I injured my lip, almost quit, labored on multiple embouchure setups, looked to mouthpieces and equipment for answers. Tried a rolled-out embouchure, rolled-in, puckered, high placement, low placement, side placements, excessive aperture control. It was a sad laboratory of trial-and-error experiments and I was the rat.
But in the process I learned what it takes to play the instrument easily and effectively. I know how hard it can be. But I also know how easy it can be.
I welcome students of all ages. The only requirement is a genuine hunger to learn and improve.
“If you do the work you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.”
King Compendium of Trumpet Miscellanea
brass quintet
West End Brass Quintet
Anneka Zuehlke, horn — Steve Wilson, trombone — Don Strand, tuba — Phil Elkins, trumpet — Craig King, trumpet
