Christopher Wicks

Christopher Wicks at his piano.

Christopher M. Wicks is an organist and composer living in Oregon's Willamette Valley. While he has had many performances of compositions of his of varying genres in various places, some of his favorite performances include: the three performances of his "Color Sonnets" (on poems by Cameron La Follette) for mezzo, flute, piano and 'cello by the ensemble "Juventas!" in various places around Boston in September 2007, the recital which he gave of songs on poems by living Oregonian poets at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Gordon House at the Oregon Garden in August 2007, the performance of his "Sketch for Viola and Piano" by Iulia and Eugen Cibisescu-Duran on a faculty recital at the Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in November 2006, the performance of his "Tirade for Solo Violin" by the New York Miniaturist Ensemble at the Juilliard School in October 2005, and the performances of his "Missa Brevis" (now published by Imagine Music in Medina, NY) by the choir of Winthrop University in South Carolina in November 2004 and by the Slovak "Luscinia Youth Choir Opava" at the Jihlava Choral Festival in the Czech Republic in July 2004. He holds a M.Mus. in Composition from the Universite de Montreal and a M.Mus. in Organ from the University of Oregon, and, while he did undergraduate work at no fewer than six colleges, Marylhurst University (from which he graduated) is dear to his heart, and the Eastman School of Music (in Rochester, NY) was also very exciting in its way. Christopher's chamber group "I Sonatori" ("The Players": CW, baritone; Eadie Anelli, violin; Bethany Evans, harpist) released a CD of his compositions in Summer 2006. This is now available online via "CD Baby" ( http://cdbaby.com/cd/sonatori )

Christopher says: "While I am grateful to my academic training in various rule-bound methods of composition, such as Bachian common practice tonality, sixteenth-century counterpoint, atonal twelve-tone techniques and Hindemith's play of the tones, I have arrived through much trial and error and striving at a style which incorporates elements of these without adhering to any entirely, and which I believe that I may call truly my own. I am also grateful to my performance instructors (in organ, piano, voice and violin, in descending order of my proficiency) for their role in giving me a sense of what is idiomatic for these various instruments, and for the opportunity to perform my own music with them."