CJ Waldrop is a performer, a teacher, and a musical leader.
CJ began performing as a child in a church choir near his hometown of Greer, South Carolina. He explored piano and musical theater until he began playing the trumpet in middle school. The bands at Riverside High School ignited his passion for high-level musical performance and leadership, motivating his studies in trumpet and voice at Furman University. Since then, CJ has performed publicly as a trumpet soloist, ensemble member, vocal soloist, chorister, conductor, and arranger. On trumpet, he frequently performs with Horizon Ensemble, and he has made two solo appearances at Boston Conservatory. CJ performed with the Prague Summer Nights Festival Orchestra in 2022 and 2023, and in 2025 he attended the Chosen Vale International Trumpet Seminar. CJ performed in the Graduate Solo division of the 2025 National Trumpet Competition, and he placed in the Orchestra Audition and Band Audition competitions of the 2025 International Women’s Brass Conference. Along with fellow Furman alumnus Alex Nagy, CJ tours with Chop Break Duo, a piano-and-trumpet duo which delivers creative and surprising performances. As a chorister, CJ is a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, resident chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops.
Leadership and education are two of CJ’s driving passions. Over the course of five years, CJ has taught private trumpet lessons for absolute beginners, pre-college students, and every level in between. He was a Teaching Fellow in Music Theory while a student at Furman University, and then he was a Music History Graduate Assistant at Boston Conservatory. CJ has written sixteen vocal arrangements for the Bell Tower Boys, Furman’s men’s a cappella club. He has also presented pop band arrangements with Berklee’s Harry Styles Ensemble and chamber brass arrangements in his graduate recital. He has conducted performances of the musical Once Upon a Mattress. CJ currently assists in conducting the Hills Bells at Wellesley Hills Church.
CJ holds a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance from Furman University and a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. He lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts.
contact CJ at chandlerjwaldrop@gmail.com to request a resume