New York City based musician Ron Wilkins has been performing on tenor and bass trombones, euphonium, tuba, bass trumpet and vocals for over forty years. He has performed at the highest levels touring around the world with his own groups as well as premiere artists. Ron is a member of the Count Basie Orchestra, Birdland Big Band, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, and runs his own New York City big band alongside trombonist Rebecca Patterson which features their writing and includes some of New York City's premiere musicians. He also has extensive broadway experience, recently finishing his run as the trombonist at the hit show Funny Girl.
Ron’s uncanny musicianship has led him to perform in many diverse musical genres. He has performed with artists such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Rosemary Clooney, Lena Horne, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Dizzy Gilespie, The Count Basie Orchestra, Mingus Big Band, The 8-bit Big Band, The Temptations, Johnny Mathis, Jimmy Heath, Jon Faddis, Eddie Daniels, Randy Brecker, Wycliffe Gordon, and groups such as The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Jimmy Heath Big Band, Arturo O' Farrill and his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band and Small Group, Chris Potter Big Band, Ed Palermo Big Band, Affinity Brass Quintet, Uptown Brass Quintet, Livio Almeida Brazilian Dectet, Memo Acevedo's Building Bridges Band, San Antonio Brass, Capitol of Texas Brass Quintet, San Antonio Symphony and Festival Orchestra, Austin Symphony and Austin Pops, Mid-Texas Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Temple Symphony, and the Flint Symphony where he was twice guest artist for their summer pops concert series.
Ron has performed with many theatrical productions including subbing on the Broadway shows Wicked, Motown, Shuffle Along, Frozen, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. He has also play with The Big Apple Circus, Ringling Brothers, touring Broadway shows, including West Side Story, The Lion King, Showboat, The Producers, Kinky Boots, Book Of Mormon, and many others.
He was a featured artist on bass and tenor trombones at the International Trombone Festival in 2002 at the University of North Texas.
Ron is a veteran of the USAF Band of the West at Lackland AFB in San Antonio.
Ron also has an extensive background as an educator. He has performed as a guest artist at from the elementary to university levels, jazz festivals, and has maintained his own private studio for decades. He has held positions at several colleges including the University of Texas at San Antonio, University of Incarnate Ward, Texas State University, Texas Lutheran University, Northwest Vista College, St. Mary’s University, teaching low brass, jazz studies, and vocals.
Ron has three cds as a leader, Trombocalist (2021), A Tribute To The Masters (2000), and The Bundee Brothers Bone Band"(2005) with former Ringling Brothers lead trombonist, Bill Gibson. As of October 2012, he was featured on a live recording with the Frank Wilkins trio (Boston, MA) at the Fishmonger Café in Cape Cod, MA. Ron currently maintains his own private teaching studio and remains a sought after clinician.
Ron is a Shires trombone artist and plays Greg Black Mouthpieces.