Chris Carthum is a trumpet player, educator, composer, and bandleader based in Eugene, Oregon. Primarily a Jazz musician, he has performed in and been influenced by a number of mediums, including Rock, Blues, Funk, Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B, Classical, and Musical Theatre.
Chris Carthum is currently in pursuit of his Masters of Music in Jazz Performance at the University of Oregon, having completed his Bachelors of Music in Trumpet Performance at Western Washington University in June 2025. He is a member of the award-winning Oregon Jazz Ensemble and JazzArts Oregon. He also currently serves as a Graduate Teaching Fellow for the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, leading ensembles and serving in other administrative roles. In addition, he teaches private lessons, which can be set up through the “Contact” page.
In addition to playing in the aforementioned bands, Chris has been a top-call sideman for a number of ensembles, including Odd Fellows Big Band, Boogie Boulevard, and other one-off gigs for multiple local pop and hip-hop artists. He was featured in the short film “The Music of Life Itself” as a jazz musician, as well as contributing to the soundtrack of the movie. As a classical trumpet player, Chris was a top-call trumpet substitute for the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra from 2022 to 2025. He placed in the 2024 Western Washington University Concerto Competition and the 2024 Virginia Glover Solo Competition, as well as competing at MusicFest Northwest in Spokane, Washington in 2024.
Chris currently performs with the Spokane, Washington-based rock band, Vika and the Velvets. With the group he has performed at Bumbershoot Music Festival and Treefort Music Festival, and opened for acts such as Kansas, Allen Stone, and The Budos Band. He is featured on their debut album, “Like a Spade”, released in June 2025. From November 2023 to July 2025, Chris fronted the Bellingham, Washington-based jazz quartet, The Other Thing. He hosted a weekly jazz show with the ensemble at Zeeks Pizza in Bellingham for a year and a half, and performed at venues such as Odd Fellows Temple Room and North Bend Jazz Walk.
His influences include Freddie Hubbard, Miles Davis, Woody Shaw, and Mike Rodriguez. He has been fortunate to study with a number of great instructors, such as Paul Krueger, Vincent Green, Kevin Woods, Shelly Devlin, and Carey Rayburn.