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CH RIS TOPHER MARTIN
20 RISING STARS UNDER 40 Principal trumpet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
A darling among elite musimother aren’t the only musical cians, The Classical Review has members of the family. His father called Marietta native Christopher is a band director at Westminster Martin a “rock star” for his Academy, his uncle was the Spray“gleaming tone” and “nuanced berry band director for 29 years, playing” as Principal Trumpet at and even his younger brother, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Michael, is an alumnus of the (CSO) since his arrival there in Civic Orchestra of Chicago. That’s 2005. And, the Chicago Tribune quite a family pedigree. has named him Martin reports “The CSO’s having listened to the stats peerless princihis father’s LPs of Age: 37 pal trumpet,” the greats from his Family: Married to Margaret. saying he is a formative years Education: Bachelor’s Degree, “superbly muand having an exEastman School of Music at sical virtuoso tensive collection Rochester University in New York . who would of orchestral make great recordings from music even if the ocarina were his the CSO, where he now plays. In chosen instrument.” fact, he does more than just play— At once hardworking and natuhe’s a Yamaha Performing Artist rally gifted, Martin first picked up and The Adolph Herseth Principal a trumpet at the age of nine, but it Trumpet Chair as well as an adwasn’t until, at age 15, he saw an junct professor of music at NorthAtlanta Symphony Orchestra perwestern in his spare time. He has formance, where his mother still performed as guest principal trumsings and he later played, that he pet with the Los Angeles Philharknew he wanted to play the brass monic, the Seattle Symphony, the for the rest of his life. Martin, a Grand Teton Music Festival and Sprayberry graduate, and his the Saito Kinen Festival.