About
American saxophonist Christopher DeLouis is dedicated to the performance of contemporary music. He is in constant collaboration with the composers as he promotes the development of new original repertoire, often with unique techniques and sounds. He has worked closely with composers Eliane Aberdam, Jean-Patrick Besingrand, Xinlei Chu, Anthony Donofrio, and more. Equally at home in the traditional repertoire, he has performed as a soloist with the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra, the University of Rhode Island Symphony Orchestra, and currently performs with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
An active performer, his concerts and clinics have taken him across North America, Croatia, Germany and China. He has frequently appeared at the United States Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium as well as the Annual New England Saxophone Symposium, the University of Nebraska Kearney New Music Festival, the Bowling Green State University New Music Festival, the World Saxophone Congress, the Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt and the Asia Saxophone Congress. He has won prizes in the Douglas Wayland Chamber Music Competition and the MTNA Chamber Music Competition as well as being a semifinalist in the Plowman National Chamber Music Competition.
An avid educator, his students have been selected for and have participated in numerous summer festivals as well as regional and state-wide ensembles, including the All-Ohio State Fair Band and the Connecticut Northern Region Middle School Festival band, the West Virginia All-State band as well as being selected as the Andrew and Amy Vaughan Student Fellow with the West Virginia Symphony. He has worked with young and motivated saxophonists who have gone on to pursue degrees in music at Kent State University, the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University. He has given masterclasses at Virginia Tech, the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Currently, he is the Training Ensembles Operations Coordinator for the Wu Family Academy at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Previously he was the Music Teacher at Thomas Snell Weaver High School in Hartford, CT, and a long-term substitute at Bedford Middle School in Westport, CT.
Christopher completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at West Virginia University on a University Provost Fellowship. His research explores and examines saxophone compositions written by composers that have taught at the Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt. He holds a Master’s Degree from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in both Music Education and Saxophone Performance from the University of Rhode Island. His primary teachers include Michael Ibrahim, John Sampen and Jared Sims.
