Christian Garner

Trumpet player from Minneapolis, Minnesota

CHRISTIAN GARNER

BIO
GALLERY
CV

Christian Garner is the principal trumpet of the Rochester Symphony and a junior at Minnetonka High School; he primarily studies with Robert Dorer and Charles Lazarus of the Minnesota Orchestra. Last summer, Christian toured Japan, Hong Kong, China, and South Korea with Carnegie Hall’s premier national youth ensemble, NYO-USA, and will join them again this summer to perform Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra at renowned European venues such as The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Usher Hall in Edinburgh.Since thirteen, Christian has been principal trumpet in the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS) top touring ensemble, Symphony, touring France and Spain, playing Copland’s Billy the Kid, Mahler’s Blumine, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite at the Palau de la Música Catalana, as well as in Italy, performing Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 at the ancient Greek amphitheater in Taormina. This summer, he will travel with GTCYS to Australia and New Zealand, soloing on John Williams’ “With Malice Towards None” (from Lincoln) and playing with the brass section on Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet at the Sydney Opera House. A career highlight was playing Tomasi’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra with GTCYS at Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis.In 2025, Christian won the National Trumpet Competition and orchestral excerpts division of the International Trumpet Guild’s Ryan Anthony Memorial Trumpet Competition. You can hear him play Kennan’s Sonata for Trumpet and the famous piccolo trumpet fanfare, Ablassen, on From the Top. Other solo performances include Arutunian’s Trumpet Concerto with the Minnetonka Symphony and Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto with Medalist Band. Local honors include first prizes from Thursday Musical and Schubert Club and being a finalist in the Minnesota Orchestra’s YPSCA Concerto Competition.An accomplished pianist, Christian studied piano with Suzanne Greer and won the MacPhail Concerto Competition. Outside of music, he enjoys playing with his dogs, mountain biking, and skiing.