Award-winning composer and clarinetist Erik Franklin balances a vibrant, varied career on and off the stage. A consummate performer, his lyrical, expressive playing has garnered acclaim and earned him a coveted position in the U.S. Army Field Band of Washington, D.C. He has given concerts in nearly all fifty states and throughout Europe, performing for audiences large and small in venues from veterans’ homes to Carnegie Hall. His compositions delight audiences and performers alike. Recent projects include an art song cycle entitled Verses for Children (2nd-place winner; 2021 NATS Composition Competition) and a chamber work for the Interlochen Arts Academy. In addition to his artistic output, Franklin is a passionate and experienced pedagogue. He holds the position of Instructor of Clarinet at Towson University and the Peabody Preparatory. Every summer, he directs the Indiana Clarinet Experience—a camp he co-founded in 2014. Franklin holds a B.M. in Clarinet from Furman University and an M.M. from the renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He is a South Carolina native and currently lives in Baltimore, MD with his husband. He is happily involved in his local arts community, where he enjoys hosting concerts in his home, drinking coffee, reading books, and nursing his ice cream addiction.