Biography
(PC: Justin Gamble Photography)
Chris Neiner (b. 1994) is a composer-pianist and entrepreneur in Cleveland, Ohio. His music has been praised for "zazzy colors, pleasant shocks, and melting cadences” (Cleveland Classical) and received recognition from the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, American Modern Ensemble, and Flute New Music Consortium. Recent commissions include Time Machine Hyperboles for NO EXIT New Music Ensemble, Tales of Euclid Beach Park for Stars in the Classics, Spiral Suite for Otterbein University, and 4 X 4 for the Ohio Music Teachers Association. Neiner is a founding musician and Associate Director of the Sunday Studio Series, chamber concerts in Cleveland’s historic Little Italy neighborhood presenting classical music as fun, welcoming, and relevant.
The music of Chris Neiner has appeared on programs by the Grammy award-winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, Boston New Music Initiative, Loadbang, Copper Street Brass Quintet, New Century Ensemble, North Coast Winds, Red Hedgehog Trio, Minnesota Symphonic Winds, Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Rocky Ridge Music Center, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and more.
Neiner has also gained a reputation as a highly sought-out arranger and music editor, working with organizations such as Reimagining Opera for Kids, Vietnamese American Society for Creative Arts and Music (VASCAM), Cleveland Pops Orchestra, The Brickhouse Network, and It’s CeCe! TV.
Neiner completed a master's degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with Keith Fitch. Previously, he studied composition and horn performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with composers Claude Baker, Aaron Travers, P. Q. Phan, Don Freund, and hornist Richard Seraphinoff. He is an alumnus of the American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot Readings, Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program, OAcademy Gabriela Ortiz Composing Studio, Mostly Modern Festival, Impulse New Music Festival, New Music on the Point Festival, and RED NOTE New Music Festival.
The music of Chris Neiner has appeared on programs by the Grammy award-winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, Boston New Music Initiative, Loadbang, Copper Street Brass Quintet, New Century Ensemble, North Coast Winds, Red Hedgehog Trio, Minnesota Symphonic Winds, Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Rocky Ridge Music Center, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and more.
Neiner has also gained a reputation as a highly sought-out arranger and music editor, working with organizations such as Reimagining Opera for Kids, Vietnamese American Society for Creative Arts and Music (VASCAM), Cleveland Pops Orchestra, The Brickhouse Network, and It’s CeCe! TV.
Neiner completed a master's degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with Keith Fitch. Previously, he studied composition and horn performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with composers Claude Baker, Aaron Travers, P. Q. Phan, Don Freund, and hornist Richard Seraphinoff. He is an alumnus of the American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot Readings, Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program, OAcademy Gabriela Ortiz Composing Studio, Mostly Modern Festival, Impulse New Music Festival, New Music on the Point Festival, and RED NOTE New Music Festival.
Upcoming Performances
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March 12, 2026
Biehle (2025) NO EXIT New Music Ensemble Praxis Fiber Workshop Cleveland, Ohio |
March 13, 2026
Biehle (2025) NO EXIT New Music Ensemble The Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland, Ohio |
March 14, 2026
Biehle (2025) NO EXIT New Music Ensemble SPACES Gallery Cleveland, Ohio |
Recent News
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Many Universes was selected for Earshot Readings with Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. I joined composers Ai Daixuan and Sepehr Pirasteh for this very amazing opportunity!
The Otterbein University concert band performed several of my works, at their spring concert, The Music of Chris Neiner. I had the pleasure of conducting them and performing piano with them.
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The Sunday Studio Series hosted Nine by Neiner, a concert of my chamber music from the past decade. We had a full house, and a good time was had by all!
Stars in the Classics commissioned Tales of Euclid Beach Park, a new piano quartet inspired by the historical amusement park that was a must-see in Cleveland for 74 years!
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