Christopher Layer

Christopher Layer (b. Elkhart - ) – Uillean Bagpipes, highland pipes, wooden flutes, and whistle. Born in Elkhart and raised in Lafayette, Layer started on the cello and went on to the learn the fife, penny whistle, Irish flute, bassoon, and bass. He studied bassoon studied on scholarship at Ball State. In 1988, he moved to the east coast and joined Local Hero, a Scottish dance band, and Dulra, an Irish early music group. With two solo CDs to his credit, Christopher Layer has played with several orchestras, including those in Detroit, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Muncie, Richmond (Indiana), National Symphony Orchestra (Kennedy Center), Milwaukee, Knoxville, and the Aspen Festival Orchestra. His performance with the Lafayette Symphony was heard on NPR. Since 1996, Layer has been the solo piper and principal flutist in the Trinity Irish Dance Company, with which he has toured four continents. A New York City resident, Layer spends ten weeks of the year teaching as the Artist-In-Residence for the Moab Music Festival in Moab, Utah. Lastly, he landed some gigs on Broadway, including a chance to play in the orchestra for Sting's musical the Last Ship in 2014 and 2015.