Erik's profile
Composer and clarinetist Erik Franklin balances a vibrant, varied career on and off the stage. 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. A former member of the United States Army Field Band (Washington, D.C.), Franklin now performs as a soloist and chamber musician across the country as a member of the Ann Street Trio and the Heartwood Duo.
Franklin has a penchant for writing lyrical, expressive melodies where performers’ sensibilities can shine, to the delight of musicians and audiences alike. His works have made a mark in the vocal music world, garnering awards from the National Association of Teachers of Singing and New York City's songSLAM festival. His instrumental works have been commissioned by ensembles like the Interlochen Arts Academy Band and the U.S. Air Force Academy Band. Upcoming performances include the world premiere of "The Old Road" in May 2024, which will feature Franklin as clarinet soloist alongside the Greenville (SC) Symphony Orchestra.
A passionate and experienced educator, Franklin formerly served on the faculty at Towson University and the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. He and his husband founded the Patterson Park Academy of Music in 2021, which provides music programming for over 300 children and adults in east Baltimore. Every summer, he directs the Indiana Clarinet Experience—a pre-college music camp he co-founded in 2014.
