Dr. Christopher J. O’Hara is an internationally renowned trumpet soloist, a chamber musician, and an educator.  His playing is described as “virtuosic and impressive in every way” (Chicago Music Examiner), and “a treat beyond measure” (Arlington Advocate), and the International Trumpet Guild Journal hails him as a “true master of [the] instrument.”

            Already in his young career, Chris has performed over 3,000 events covering 47 states and 11 countries across North America, Europe, Great Britain, and Asia.  His performance schedule has taken him to notable venues such as the Ravinia Music Festival, the Tanglewood Music Festival, Italian Brass Week (Florence, Italy), the Bethlehem Musikfest, the Boston Early Music Festival, the Festival de Camara de Musica in Aquacalientes Mexico, the Nagoya Conservatory of Music, and Millennium Hall in Japan.

            Chris performs regularly across the country and beyond as a soloist, but his true passion has always been the art of chamber music.  At the age of 16 in his hometown of Bensenville, Illinois, he had already formed his first brass quintet; in 1995, he was honored by WGN television for his efforts with this ensemble.  Then, at 17, he formed his second brass quintet, the internationally acclaimed Synergy Brass Quintet.  As founder of the Synergy Brass Quintet, he has been a regular guest on NPR’s The Front Row, performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, The Boston Pops, and Natalie Cole, and has recorded several albums available on the AAR record label.  Chris is currently a founding member of the internationally performing and award-winning Alliance Brass.  With the Alliance Brass, he has recorded four albums and continues to tour regularly.  Beyond the brass quintet genre, Chris performs and records with the award-winning Illumine Trio, a unique ensemble of soprano, trumpet, and harp.           

           As an advocate for new music, Chris has commissioned several works including Robert Martin’s Four Places in New York for two trumpets, Karl Henning’s The Angel Who Bears a Flaming Sword for solo trumpet, Robert Bradshaw’s Fantasy No. 7: Dancing Embers.  He has also commissioned and premiered several works by long-time friend R. Christopher Teichler, including Sonata for Trumpet and Piano and Ballad for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble.  He has commissioned and premiered several works for brass by composers such as Richard Cornell, R. Christopher Teichler, Samuel Headrick, and he can also be heard on the premiere recording of Samuel Adler’s