Chris Hawes has been playing the trumpet since the age of 10. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Music Performance in 2001 from the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam, where he was winner of the 2000 Crane Concerto Competition and 1997 Crane Chamber Competition.

In demand as a freelance trumpeter in the Boston area, Chris enjoys playing in a wide variety of musical situations ranging from symphony orchestras to jazz bands. Recently, Chris has been heard performing with such groups as the Brockton Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestra of Emmanuel Music, the Cape Ann Symphony, and the Kalistos Chamber Orchestra. Additionally, he enjoys an active life in Boston's musical theatre scene, having survived show runs in the pits of such theatres as the Boston Lyric Stage and the Wheelock Family Theatre. Music has also helped to satiate Chris's appetite for travel, taking him to perform in such faraway lands as Japan, Chile, Argentina, Spain, and Canada.

Chamber music has always been a love of Chris's, since his first experiences in a brass quartet in the seventh grade. Having performed professionally in variously composed chamber ensembles since high school, Chris joined Bala in the fall of 2004 and is its newest member.