Pittsburgh South Hills Trumpet Studio

Chad Winkler has been a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra since 2008, serving as Fourth/Utility Trumpet and performing as a featured soloist. Prior to joining the Pittsburgh Symphony, he held positions with the Wheeling Symphony, the West Virginia Symphony, and the Erie Philharmonic. He has appeared as guest principal trumpet with the orchestras of Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Rochester and has also performed with the orchestras of Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Minnesota, Honolulu, Louisville, and Jacksonville. In addition, he serves as Principal Trumpet of the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra in Lakeside, Ohio.

A passionate and dedicated educator, Winkler has presented masterclasses at leading institutions, including the University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, Butler University, West Virginia University, and the Conservatory of Music in Puerto Rico. He has also been on faculty at renowned summer programs including the Masterworks Festival and the Eastman Trumpet Institute. In Summer 2025, Winkler started the Pittsburgh Trumpet Camp, a one-week trumpet intensive for middle and high school students. Winkler runs a flourishing private trumpet studio, the Pittsburgh South Hills Trumpet Studio, mentoring middle and high school students who have consistently excelled in Pennsylvania district, region, and All-State auditions, earning top honors, including first chair positions in the PMEA All-State orchestra, wind ensemble, and jazz ensemble. Many of his students have gone on to pursue degrees in music at prestigious schools such as Northwestern University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Michigan.

Winkler is a three-time National Trumpet Competition winner (1995, 1998, 2000) and was invited to perform as a guest soloist at NTC in 2013. In 2020-21, Chad launched a unique recording project in which he performs both the trumpet solo and piano accompaniment for standard repertoire pieces. You can listen to those recordings on SoundCloud.

Originally from Morgantown, West Virginia, Winkler earned his Bachelor of Music degree from West Virginia University, studying with his father, Dr. John Winkler, and his Master of Music degree from Duquesne University under George Vosburgh, retired principal trumpet of the Pittsburgh Symphony.