Bio

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

He serves as Principal Trumpet of Haymarket Opera Company and appears regularly with ensembles specializing in historically informed performance. His performing work spans opera, orchestral engagements, chamber music, commercial recording projects, and contemporary repertoire, reflecting a commitment to versatility and thoughtful collaboration across musical traditions.

Berndt is a member of the Conservatory faculty at Merit School of Music in Chicago, where he leads the trumpet studio and works with advanced high school musicians preparing for conservatory and university study. His teaching includes applied instruction, chamber coaching, orchestral brass sectionals, and brass ensemble direction, along with mentoring students through the audition and application process. Students from his studio regularly advance to leading conservatories and universities, and chamber groups under his direction have earned national recognition, including quarterfinal appearances at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

He previously served on the trumpet faculty at the University of Notre Dame, where he taught applied lessons, chamber music, and orchestral repertoire while directing the university trumpet ensemble. Across all settings, his teaching emphasizes stylistic clarity, disciplined preparation, and the development of thoughtful, collaborative musicians capable of sustaining long-term artistic growth.