Cheryl Hollinger

Cheryl Hollinger first picked up a trumpet when she was 11 years old. That led to a lifelong passion for the trumpet and a 40-year career as a professional musician.

Cheryl grew up in Lititz, Pennsylvania, gaining a Bachelor of Science in Music Education at West Chester University. She won entry to The Juilliard School in New York and left with Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees.

In 2000 she came to New Zealand to become Associate Principal Trumpet in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Prior to that, Cheryl played in the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans (principal trumpet), the Florida Symphony Orchestra (second trumpet), and the Savannah Symphony Orchestra (co-principal trumpet).

As a soloist, she performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Florida Symphony Orchestra, the Savannah Symphony Orchestra, the Hilton Head Orchestra, and the Suburban Symphony Orchestra and Kankakee Symphony Orchestra in Illinois.

Cheryl has recorded with Nine Inch Nails on the The Fragile album, and played at several international events, including The Proms in London, the Aichi Expo in Japan, the Olympic Arts Festival 2000 in Sydney, with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in both the United States and Italy, and at the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder.

She left the NZSO after 25 years to focus on teaching - and now, also, her presenting role on RNZ Concert. She’s always had a secret desire to work in radio.

Cheryl lives in Wellington and enjoys time with her partner and their two Jack Russell terriers, seeing friends and family, doing gym workouts and some travelling. She joined the RNZ Concert as a casual presenter in August 2025.

Listen to an interview with Cheryl here