J. Christopher Marshall

Texas native J. Christopher Marshall, a member of the Minnesota Orchestra since 1999, earned his master’s degree in bassoon performance at the New England Conservatory of Music. He holds two undergraduate degrees from Northwestern University: one in bassoon performance and the other in mechanical engineering. Before joining the Minnesota Orchestra, Marshall was a member of Florida’s New World Symphony.

Marshall has appeared as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra in performances of Dietter’s Concerto for Two Bassoons in 2008, reprising the work in subsequent seasons. An active chamber musician, he also performs regularly on the Minnesota Orchestra’s Chamber Music series offerings. He has performed as a soloist with the Bloomington and Mankato symphonies. He has appeared with the Boston Symphony and Pops, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the National Symphony, and has participated in numerous music festivals, including Tanglewood, Pacific and Spoleto. As a clinician, he has led master classes and sectionals for many universities as well as community and youth orchestras. He joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota in 2022.

Marshall was a recipient of a McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians in 2009

An avid Dallas Cowboys fan and triathlete, he lives in Plymouth with his wife Kari, the Minnesota Orchestra’s Director of Artistic Planning, and their sons Robert and Jonathan.