Chris Ullman
You may think you’re a pretty good whistler, until you meet (and hear) Chris Ullman.
Ullman, who lives in northwest Alexandria, is a four-time national and international whistling champion. He’s also an author and motivational speaker. He has whistled on The Tonight Show, The Today Show, and for a sitting U.S. president.
While Ullman takes pride in these and other accomplishments, he believes what makes his whistling special is not the accolades, but how it makes other people feel. One of his favorite things to do is whistle “Happy Birthday” to people — he’s done it thousands of times.
“[Whistling is] like a skeleton key. It gives me entry into people’s hearts,” Ullman said.
A Lifetime of Practice
“I didn’t know how good I was. I was always ‘the whistler’ in my community, or my school, or my family. It’s not until you go and hang out with other people who are known as ‘the whistler’ that you find out if you’re good or not,” Ullman said.
Ullman, who started whistling when he was 5 years old and developed his skills on his paper route as a teenager, found out just how good he was when he entered his first competition in 1993 at the National Whistlers Convention in Louisburg, N.C. Ullman whistled “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller, and took home the second place prize in the popular music category.
After that taste of victory in North Carolina, Ullman started taking whistling more seriously. His hard work paid off: When he returned to the competition the following year, he took home first place.
After that, Ullman continued to collect titles — and attracted attention from the public and the media. Ullman has appeared on The Tonight Show, The Today Show and countless other programs. He’s whistled the national anthem at Nationals and Wizards games and has performed with 10 symphony orchestras, including the National Symphony Orchestra.
In a video for National Geographic (see below), which currently sits at 5.4 million views on YouTube, Ullman demonstrates the tricks that helped him earn his success. He goes beyond the basic puckered lip whistle, using every part of his mouth (including his teeth) to produce a variety of sounds. The different sounds add texture to his performances, mimicking instruments and vocal patterns.
To Ullman, whistling is just as much his profession as his more traditional work on Capitol Hill and with the Carlyle Group. In fact, his two worlds always seem to intersect.
“The whistling has been parallel to my day jobs, but also dipping like a sine wave,” Ullman said. “In every job I’ve had, I have a whistling story.”
These stories range from amusing — such as when then-Rep. John Kasich (R-Ohio) tried to convince an unimpressed Newt Gingrich to listen to Ullman’s whistling during an awkward elevator ride — to astonishing — performing for President George W. Bush in the Oval Office.
A Small Gift for a Better World
The cover of Chris Ullman's book, "Find Your Whistle." It was published in 2017.
This idea that a small gift can make a world of difference — forms the basis of Ullman’s philosophy, which he calls his “ministry.”
In the past few years, Ullman has given motivational talks where he stresses the importance of finding value in individual strengths, no matter how small. Rather than comparing ourselves to others, Ullman said, we should focus on what gifts we’ve been given, and how we can use them to make the world a better place.
“My message is: ‘Always do your best, but be aware of your ability to make the life of the person next to you better’,” Ullman said.
This idea is explored more fully in Ullman’s book, Find your Whistle: Simple Gifts Touch Hearts and Change Lives. In addition to writing about his whistling career, Ullman includes examples of other simple gifts, like a web writer and consultant’s handmade Christmas cards and a cowboy CEO’s hiring philosophy.
“I have a simple gift. I am not a superhero, I am not changing the world,” Ullman said. “But with this simple gift I can touch the heart of one person at a time.”
