Christopher Martin, NRO alumnus from 1997, was recently appointed Principal Trumpet at the New York Philharmonic.
After attending the NRO, Chris joined the New World Symphony very briefly before winning Associate Principal with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1997. After three years in Philadelphia, he joined his hometown orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, as Principal for five seasons. Since 2005, Mr. Martin has been Principal of the Chicago Symphony.
“The summer I spent at the NRO was the perfect experience for me at that time. It helped me transition from the mentality of ‘student’ to ‘professional’. The high level of performance, the plethora of great music performed each week, and the camaraderie of the ensemble are unlike anything most of us experience as students. NRO teaches the tools and confidence needed to succeed as performing musicians of the highest level,” Chris says.
He would also like to give a shout-out to his fellow ’97 NRO trumpet section: Billy Hunter (Principal, Metropolitan Opera) and Kevin Finamore (2nd, Dallas Symphony Orchestra).