Charley Wilkinson

Charles Earl "Charley" Wilkinson III (born October 4, 1955) is an American professional musician. He has been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., since 1979, where he currently performs as the assistant principal timpanist, and is a key part of the percussion section. He earned his B.A. at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1977 and his M.A. in 1978. He was also appointed associate adjunct professor of percussion at Kent State University in 1978, until his departure in 1979.

After his tenure at Kent State, Wilkinson joined the National Symphony Orchestra in 1979 as a percussionist and assistant principal timpanist. Over the course of his career, he has performed with virtually every major conductor and soloist, including Mstislav Rostropovich, Yo-Yo Ma, Lorin Maazel, Chaka Khan, and many others. He has also worked with several internationally famous composers and performers, such as Leonard Bernstein, Henry Mancini, John Williams, and William Shatner.