Christopher Washburne received his Bachelors of Music in classical trombone performance from the University of Wisconsin where he studied with William Richardson, Richard Davis, and Les Thimmeg. In 1988 he completed a Masters degree from the New England Conservatory in Third Stream Studies where he studied with John Swallow, Ran Blake, and Bob Moses. He has toured extensively with various groups and concertized throughout the United States, Europe, Asian, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. He was the winner of the 1988 New England Conservatory Graduation Concerto Competition. In 1985 he spent two months living in Zambia studying the traditional music of that region.

In 1989 he was awarded a Multi-year Faculty Fellowship at Columbia University and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology. In 1991 he completed a Master's of Arts degree in Ethnomusicology and in 1994 completed a Masters of Philosophy as part of that work. In 1993 he received a Mellon Fellowship to travel to and explore the rich musical traditions of Cuba. He has commissioned and premiered over twenty contemporary compositions for trombone. In 1999 he completed his Ph.D. writing a dissertation, entitled Salsa in New York: a Musical Ethnography, that is an ethnographic study on the New York salsa scene in the 1990s and will be published by University of Temple Press in 2002.

He has performed with Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Mark Anthony, Celia Cruz, Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Muhal Richard Abrams, Ruben Blades, Roscoe Mitchell, Grady Tate, Jaki Byard, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Danilo Caymmi, Daniel Ponce, Ran Blake, Arturo Sandoval, Hilton Ruíz, Lawrence “Butch” Morris, Walter Thompson, Anthony Braxton, John Cale, Baba Olatunje, Candido, Freddie Cole, Maria Schneider Big Band, Chico O’Farrill, Leslie Uggams, Dicapo Opera Company, Bang on a Can All-stars, and the Dinosaur Annex under the direction of Gunther Schuller. He is currently freelancing as a studio musician and performing trombone, bass trombone, tuba, and percussion with various classical, jazz, and Latin groups in New York City.

He is a regular performing member with the Boston Art Quartet(BAQ) Jazz group, RMM Allstar Salsa Band, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, SEM Ensemble, American Microtonal Festival Chamber Orchestra, Dadadah, and leader of SYOTOS, a Latin jazz group that features his original compositions. He also leads the NARAS jam sessions at Birdland. He can be heard on the BAQ's debut CD "The Fax" where he has received rave reviews. He also can be heard on the recordings of the David Byrne, The Barrio Boyz, Oscar D’Leon, Louie Ramírez, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Bang on A Can Allstars, Ray Vega, Brian Lynch, Orlando Watusi y su cartel de la salsa, Nerissa, Grupo Oriza, Raulin Rosendo, Metro Gospel singers, Unity Gospel singers, Oscar Figueroa Group, Danny Rojo, Yorman D’Leon, Palenque, among many others.

He currently holds a teaching position in the jazz department at the New School for Social Research and is an assistant professor in the Music department at Columbia University.