Lisa Cherry, Professor of Horn

Lisa Cherry has been a professional musician since 1978. Upon completion of her degree in Performance in 1981 at Cal State Univ, Long Beach, she won her first orchestra job in Veracruz, México. After the Veracruz orchestra job, Lisa returned home and has been “free-lancing” ever since!

A sought-after show player, she has performed with Long Beach Civic Light Opera, San Gabriel Light Opera, La Mirada Civic Light Opera, at the “Old Globe Theater” in San Diego, and La Jolla Playhouse. Her many symphony orchestra positions include Peninsula Symphony, Westchester/Marina del Rey Symphony, San Bernardino Symphony, Santa Monica Chamber Orchestra, Torrance Symphony, South Coast Symphony (founding member), Temecula Valley Sym, Coachella Symphony and Pacific Symphony. Ms. Cherry appeared in the “Hour of Power” orchestra from 2001-2010 at Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, which was televised all over the world. She has toured with orchestras all over the world to Taiwan, Canada, México, and Italy, Berlin, Poland, Prague and Varna, Bulgaria. Lisa tours almost every summer with a chamber orchestra in Europe.

An accomplished teacher, Ms. Cherry has a very successful horn studio in Orange County (Lake Forest) where she teaches young players and adults alike. Lisa holds a B.M. in Music Performance from California State University, Long Beach (1981). Her extensive teaching background and has made her very sought after and includes teaching at top Universities all around Southern California, UCI, Concordia University, Vanguard Univ, Riverside Community College and has been at Cal Baptist University in Riverside on their teaching Faculty since 2003. She joined the faculty as Professor of Horn at UCR in Fall of 2016 and joined the faculty of Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) in August 2018.

Lisa plays exclusively on a 2001 Patterson Custom that belonged to friend and colleague Brian O'Connor and a 2014 full Patterson Triple L model hand made by Jim Patterson. She also has a Paxman 40M (1968) that was the first US Paxman in silver that was imported to the United States, and two stock “closet”Conn 8D “Elkhart” N series horns built in 1968.