Chris Wild - Cello

Cellist and conductor Chris Wild has performed in concert halls throughout the Americas and Europe and has been heard in broadcasts on CTV National News (Canada) and classical radio stations WQXR (New York) and WFMT (Chicago). His debut cello album, Abhanden, is described by New Music Box as "a virtuosic tour-de-force for solo cello... Wild's approach to the material is soaring, lyrical, and bold... confirms that Wild is not only an exciting performer to watch, but also a wise programmer and collaborator." An avid interpreter of new music, Chris is currently the Lead Artistic Coordinator and Cellist for Ensemble Dal Niente, a Chicago-based collective of "super-musicians" (Chicago Tribune) that brings its programming to audiences worldwide. His recent performance of Beat Furrer's Solo at Dal Niente's annual "Hard Music, Hard Liquor" event was deemed "insatiable" by The New York Times. Chris has also performed classical and contemporary music as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Canada), Third Coast Percussion (Chicago), Experimental Sound Studio SWR (Germany) and University of Michigan Philharmonia Orchestra.  He can be heard on the New Amsterdam, New Focus, Naxos, Navona, and Carrier record labels.

Alongside his work with Dal Niente, Chris is a DMA student in orchestral conducting at Northwestern University. As an orchestral conductor, he has led rehearsals and concerts with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (New York), Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra & Chorus, Camerata Antonio Soler (Madrid), Highland Park Strings (Illinois), Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra (Illinois), Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, and performances with Northwestern University's Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Bienen Strings. His conducting work grew out of a love for teaching that has included work with orchestras, chamber ensembles, and private cello students of all ages. Chris began studying the cello in British Columbia, where he went on to win first place in the strings category of the Canadian Music Competition and debuted with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in cello performance and music education from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Erling Blöndal Bengtsson and Richard Aaron and won first place in the school’s Concerto Competition. www.chriswild.net