Airman First Class Theodore Van Winkle is a trombonist with the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West, Travis AFB, CA. Originally from Muscatine, Iowa, his Air Force career began in 2022.
A1C Van Winkle studied music performance and arts administration at the University of Iowa, where he graduated summa cum laude, before continuing on to study music performance and wind conducting at the University of North Texas. His primary teachers include Dr. Jonathan Allen, Dr. Natalie Mannix, and Mr. Jeffrey Heid. In 2021, A1C Van Winkle won the International Trombone Association’s Emory Remington Trombone Choir Competition as a member of the UNT Trombone Consortium, and in 2022, he was named a finalist for the ITA Alto Trombone Competition. A1C Van Winkle was a 2019 U.S. Department of State Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar.
EDUCATION
2020 – Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
2020 – Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
2022 – Master’s Degree in Music Performance, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
ASSIGNMENTS
1. May 2022 – July 2022, trainee, Basic Military Training, Lackland AFB, TX
2. July 2022 – present, trombone, USAF Band of the Golden West, Travis AFB, CA
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
National Defense Service Medal
Basic Military Training Honor Graduate Ribbon
Air and Space Training Ribbon
EFFECTIVE DATE OF PROMOTION
A1C – 17 May 2022
SrA – 17 September 2024
(Current as of September 2024)