Bio

Ryan Berndt is an educator and trumpet artist whose work connects the demands of professional performance with the formative years of serious musical training. Active across orchestral, chamber, historically informed, and recording contexts, he brings stylistic awareness, ensemble leadership, and disciplined preparation to both stage and studio.

He serves as Principal Trumpet of Haymarket Opera Company and appears regularly with leading ensembles specializing in historically informed performance. His work also includes orchestral appointments, chamber collaborations, commercial projects, and new music initiatives, reflecting a commitment to versatility and sustained artistic growth.

Berndt serves on the Conservatory faculty at Merit School of Music in Chicago, where he leads the trumpet studio and oversees advanced pre-professional training for high school musicians. In addition to applied instruction, his work includes recruitment, studio culture development, chamber coaching, orchestral brass sectionals, and brass ensemble direction. Students from his studio have earned national recognition, including quarterfinal appearances at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and regularly advance to leading conservatories and university programs.

He previously served on the trumpet faculty at the University of Notre Dame, teaching applied lessons, chamber music, and orchestral repertoire. Across all settings, his teaching emphasizes clarity of style, disciplined preparation, and the development of independent, collaborative musicians capable of sustaining long-term artistic growth.