Karlos Elizondo

Karlos Elizondo is a San Antonio based trumpet artist, educator, conductor, and bandleader whose career spans more than three decades of professional performance and music education. A highly respected lead trumpet player, Elizondo currently serves as lead trumpet with the Doc Watkins Orchestra at Jazz, TX and is a sought-after performer throughout Texas and beyond. His performance credits include work with acclaimed artists and ensembles including Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente Jr., The Temptations, The GAP Band, Mannheim Steamroller, The Latin Breed, Haley Reinhart, the San Antonio Symphony, the United States Air Force Band of the West, and numerous Broadway and touring productions. His versatility has taken him from jazz and Latin music to commercial, symphonic, theater, and large-ensemble performance, making him one of the most active and experienced lead trumpet voices in the South Texas music scene.

As an educator, Elizondo has dedicated more than 20 years to developing young musicians and remains deeply committed to connecting music education with real-world performance. He is the Founder and Executive & Artistic Director of JAZZ Nation, a San Antonio nonprofit dedicated to preserving and advancing jazz through education, mentorship, and performance. Through programs such as the Generations Jazz Orchestra, JAZZ Nation Summer Institute, All-State Intensive, and Powerhouse Big Band, Elizondo’s teaching philosophy centers on preparing musicians not only for the classroom, but for the bandstand. He also serves on the music faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and is a clinician and adjudicator throughout Texas. His students and ensembles have earned numerous honors, including UIL Sweepstakes awards, first-division ratings, festival championships, and appearances at the Midwest International Band & Orchestra Convention and Texas Bandmasters Association Convention.

A graduate of Texas State University, Elizondo studied with many of the region’s leading brass and music educators and has remained an active performer throughout his teaching career. His commitment to staying professionally active while mentoring the next generation reflects a simple philosophy: great teaching comes from continuing to learn, perform, and experience music at the highest level. Elizondo performs on a Schilke X3L trumpet, joining the Schilke Artist family and representing an instrument that matches his approach to the trumpet—powerful, precise, versatile, and equally at home in the concert hall, recording studio, theater, or on the jazz bandstand.