Omri Barak

American trumpeter Omri Barak rejoins the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2026 as Associate Principal Trumpet, having previously held the role of Acting Second Trumpet in the orchestra’s 2023/24 season, and occasionally returning as a guest principal, receiving special mention from Opera Today for his “flawless trumpet solos” in the Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ 2025 production of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has also served as Associate Principal Trumpet of the Kansas City Symphony and as Principal Trumpet of the Allentown Symphony, a position he won at age 19 and subsequently held for eight seasons. Barak has also been a frequent guest musician with the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras and has played as guest principal with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and Richmond Symphony. 

The first signs of a potential affinity for music date back to Barak’s infancy, where he learned to recognize when his favorite track was ending and would become so inconsolable at its conclusion that his parents would have to restart it to get any peace (by sheer coincidence, the name of this track is “Rewind”). Musical instruction then entered his life at the age of 4 when his older brother was given a trumpet. Not wanting Omri to feel left out, his parents gave him an ear-training computer game so that he could begin to learn music, too. This was swiftly followed by the piano at age 5, the violin at 6, and finally, at his brother’s insistence, a trumpet of his own at age 8. After gaining admission to Pittsburgh’s Creative and Performing Arts magnet school at 12, music became so central to Barak’s secondary education that by the time he went to college, it took him less than a semester of studying computer science to realize that he needed to try for a professional career in music instead.

Barak is an alumnus of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He credits his personal success to his primary teachers Bill Whitener, Charles Lirette, George Vosburgh, David Bilger, Charles Geyer, and Barbara Butler, as well as the many wonderful colleagues and mentors he has worked with over the course of his career. When not playing trumpet, he enjoys solving all manner of puzzles, making coffee, learning languages, and spending time with his beloved cat, Sebastian.