Kevin Watkins has been a member of the Minnesota Orchestra percussion section since 1999. Prior to joining Minnesota, Kevin was member of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic for two seasons. Recently, he taught for several years as a regular guest instructor at the Peabody Conservatory. A native of Kansas City, he studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with Michael Rosen, and then at Cleveland State University with Tom Freer.
Throughout his career he has also performed and recorded with many other orchestras including The Philharmonia, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. In addition to LAMF, Kevin has performed at the Strings music festival as well as the festival in Sun Valley.
Kevin’s hobbies include mountain biking, gardening, fishing, and precise execution of lego building instructions with his son, Dylan.