Aaron Bahr is an award winning trumpeter, composer, arranger, author, and educator based in New York City.  In 2024 he performed in the successful run as the trumpet player for the Tony Award Winning Broadway Music “Illinoise” at the St. James Theater.  He is the published author of “Advanced Trumpet Techniques” (BiM Publishing, 2023), a book of trumpet studies and etudes exploring advanced and innovative uses of the trumpet.  Bahr also has two albums out as a bandleader featuring his original composition and arrangements, Places, Real and Imagined (2021) and Prologue (2012).

Since moving to New York in 2015 Bahr has performed as both a sideman and bandleader at some of the best Jazz clubs in the city, including Smalls, Fat Cat, and Zinc Bar.  He was a member of the Jazz Quintet Groove Merchant, recording on their self-titled 2016 album and touring Japan in March 2017. He also performs regularly with Pianist/Composer Tetsuro Hoshii's group "The Doggy Cats."  Bahr’s own current septet project features his original compositions and arrangements, played by an international cast of innovative, imaginative, and virtuosic musicians.

In addition to his performance career, Bahr creates music education videos for YouTube, where he explains jazz improvisation, harmony, and trumpet technique. His teaching philosophy focuses on clarity and accessibility, tailoring his approach to each student's individual needs and level of understanding.

Aaron has also earned accolades for his big band writing, winning both the 2015 SF Jazz HUT Foundation Alumni Commission award and the 2015 Jazz in the Neighborhood Emerging Composer Competition.

Aaron earned his Bachelor’s of Jazz Composition from Berklee College of music where Aaron studied under Tiger Okoshi, Greg Hopkins, and Phil Wilson. During this time Aaron also recorded his first album titled Prologue, an adventurous compilation of original compositions and arrangements for a ten-piece ensemble. After his studies at Berklee, Aaron was admitted to the New England Conservatory where he earned his Master’s. There he studied with the trumpeter Laurie Frink, who had a profound influence on his trumpet playing and technique. Aaron also continued his Jazz Composition studies under Ken Schaphorst, and studied improvisation with Jerry Bergonzie and Miguel Zenon.