Born and raised in New Jersey, Jim began playing the trumpet at the relatively late age of 17. In no time, he had caught up to and passed his peers and was accepted to Ithaca College, where he received his Bachelors Degree in music education. Following his work at Ithaca, Jim was accepted to the prestigious Eastman School of Music, where he completed his Masters Degree in Jazz and Contemporary Media. During his time in Rochester, Jim's stock began to rise. He was a regularly featured soloist with both the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Eastman Jazz Ensemble. Despite the fact that his major was in jazz performance, Jim won the audition for a trumpet position with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Although hundreds of miles away, players in the competitive New York studio scene were beginning to hear about a young lion named Jim Hynes.
Arriving in the early 1980s, Jim's star rose quickly in the studios and theaters of New York City. Almost immediately, he was in high demand performing Broadway shows. During his career, Jim has played over 50 Broadway shows, including 10 years as principal trumpet of the historic show Cats. His versatility and reliability began to catch the attention of a myriad of artists and producers, and over the coming years, Jim would go on to perform and record with Quincy Jones, Sting, George Michael, James Taylor, Lady GaGa, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Bob James, Mary J. Blige, Burt Bacharach, Christina Aguilera and Sheryl Crow. His work in the field of television and motion pictures is equally extensive, with contributions to the soundtracks and themes of CBS News, The Today Show, Monday Night Football, ABC World News Tonight, The Price Is Right, and the CBS Early Show.
Jim's passion and commitment to music extends well beyond performing and recording. He has been lauded by music educators for his educational presentations and devotion to helping the next generation of talented musicians. Through his own personal experiences and education, Jim is able to give students of every level invaluable insight into their own hopes and dreams. His inspiring, infectious positive outlook is a big reason why so many educators call on him time and time again to energize their students and their music programs.