Staff Sergeant Patrick Sikes joined the West Point Band in 2023. Before joining the band, he was an active freelance performer in New York City. As a soloist, he has appeared with the University of Florida Wind Symphony and twice with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Philharmonia. An avid chamber musician, he performed regularly with his woodwind quintet, Ensemble HCV, throughout the Midwest. As an orchestral performer and studio musician, he has performed with the Richmond (Indiana) Symphony, the Kentucky Symphony, the Ocala Symphony, the Brooklyn Wind Symphony, and the New York Pops. Staff Sgt. Sikes has performed at Bard SummerScape, NYC’s Forest Hills Stadium, the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest, the Midwest Clinic, and Carnegie Hall. As an educator, he has maintained private studios in Florida, Ohio, Indiana, and New York. He has also coached sectionals and group lessons at schools including Carmel High School in Indiana and LaGuardia High school in New York City. He earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Florida, studying under Mitchell Estrin, and a Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Ixi Chen and Jonathan Gunn.
