Clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, teacher, and writer Kyle Coughlin is a versatile musician who is proficient in styles ranging from jazz to classical to popular music. He earned both his Masters and Doctorate degrees in clarinet performance from the Peabody Conservatory, as a student of Loren Kitt, and his Bachelors degree from the University of Maryland as a student of Ed Walters.

As a jazz musician, Coughlin has played at every major venue in the Baltimore-Washington area, including Blues Alley, the King of France Tavern, the New Haven Lounge, the Baltimore-Washington Jazzfest, and the Kennedy Center. In 2004, he was a featured soloist at ClarinetFest, the annual conference of the International Clarinet Association. He has performed with several outstanding New York based jazz musicians, including Terell Stafford, George Colligan, Alex Norris, and Lou Rainone. He also has performed and recorded with The Todd Butler Group and guitarist Mark Stanley.

As a freelance musician, Coughlin has played with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Maryland Philharmonic, the National Gallery Orchestra, Concert Artists of Baltimore, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and orchestras at the Kennedy Center, the Lyric Opera House, Arena Stage, Wolf Trap, and Merriweather Post Pavilion. As a classical soloist, Coughlin has performed the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Loyola DaCamera, conducted by Ernest Liotti, and the Columbia Orchestra, conducted by Jason Love. In addition, he has played numerous solo recitals in the Baltimore-Washington area. His musical journeys have led him far beyond his home state to concerts throughout the East Coast, and Evian, France.

Coughlin has released two critically acclaimed jazz CDs, When Afternoons Return (2001), and In the Shadow of Palms (2002). He has won several awards for his compositions, including a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council in 2003. His composition credits also include works for Fox Television and several commercial jingles.

An active educator, Coughlin is on the faculty of Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland, where he directs the school’s jazz ensemble, leads the faculty jazz quartet, and teaches private lessons.

Coughlin’s first educational book, Beginning Jazz Clarinet Studies, Volume 1 is now available from SkyLeap Music.

Coughlin’s musical influences are very diverse and range from Karl Leister, Ricardo Morales, Jon Manasse, and Eddie Daniels on the clarinet, to Jerry Bergonzi, Chris Potter, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and Cannonball Adderley on the saxophone. His compositional style has been influenced by a wide range of musicians, as well: Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Weather Report, Maurice Ravel, James Brown, and the group Earth, Wind, and Fire.