James Hamlin, principal trumpet of the GSO since 1983, is a freelance player in the New York City area. He has played with many groups including the New York Philharmonic, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the New York City Opera. Currently, he plays principal trumpet for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic as well as the GSO. One of his interests is the natural trumpet and he has played with groups such as The Grande Bande, Concert Royale, the Fairfield Old Academy, and New York Collegium. He has recorded on the natural trumpet on Sony Classical and other labels. Teaching is also a big part of his musical life. For twelve years he taught at the Eastern Music Festival. Now, he is trumpet instructor at the Juilliard pre-college and the Hoff-Barthelson school. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and his B.M. and M.M. from the Manhattan School of Music.