Biography

Chris Neiner (b. 1994) is a Cleveland-based composer of contemporary classical music with colorful harmony, diverse influences, and engaging energy. Neiner’s style derives from his passion to foster collaborative works with instrumentalists. His recent commissions include Aurora Fanfare & Dance for the Aurora School of Music; Serenade for the Ghosts for Musical Upcoming Stars in the Classics; Playtime for a consortium of collegiate horn professors across the United States; and an upcoming new work for NO EXIT New Music Ensemble. Neiner’s work has been praised by Cleveland Classical for "incorporating the zazzy colors of the current new music dialect," and "pleasant shocks and melting cadences."
The music of Chris Neiner has appeared on programs by the Grammy award-winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, American Modern Ensemble, Boston New Music Initiative, Cochran Chamber Commissioning Project, Copper Street Brass Quintet, Red Hedgehog Trio, loadbang, Minnesota Symphonic Winds, Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Rocky Ridge Music Center, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, faculty of the MacPhail Center for Music, and more.
Beyond his collaborative work as a composer, Neiner is a producer and coordinator for several music events. In 2019, he served as the associate director, composer-in-residence, and conductor for Music in the Circle, a summer concert series facilitating collaboration between international artists and students, faculty, and alumni of the Cleveland Institute of Music. Other projects include New Music for Horn, a multidisciplinary project that facilitated music making between hornists, composers, conductors, and recording artists studying at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
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), The Brickhouse Network, and internationally recognized composer and trumpeter Anthony Plog.
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 Mostly Modern Festival, Impulse New Music Festival, New Music on the Point, RED NOTE New Music Festival, and the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium.
The music of Chris Neiner has appeared on programs by the Grammy award-winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, American Modern Ensemble, Boston New Music Initiative, Cochran Chamber Commissioning Project, Copper Street Brass Quintet, Red Hedgehog Trio, loadbang, Minnesota Symphonic Winds, Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Rocky Ridge Music Center, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, faculty of the MacPhail Center for Music, and more.
Beyond his collaborative work as a composer, Neiner is a producer and coordinator for several music events. In 2019, he served as the associate director, composer-in-residence, and conductor for Music in the Circle, a summer concert series facilitating collaboration between international artists and students, faculty, and alumni of the Cleveland Institute of Music. Other projects include New Music for Horn, a multidisciplinary project that facilitated music making between hornists, composers, conductors, and recording artists studying at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
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), The Brickhouse Network, and internationally recognized composer and trumpeter Anthony Plog.
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 Mostly Modern Festival, Impulse New Music Festival, New Music on the Point, RED NOTE New Music Festival, and the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium.
News
The faculty of Indiana State University performed my brass quintet Big Ideas! as part of their faculty artist series! Grateful to work with these musicians and hornist Dr. Brian Kilp who made it all happen!
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Not only do I compose, I perform! I recently gave a solo recital for Church of the Covenant as part of their Tuesday Noon Concert Series. The program features music by Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, John Adams, and myself.
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Upcoming Performances
April 6, 2023
Shades of Green (2017) Dr. Kenneth Johnson University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville, Wisconsin |
April 7, 2023
Time Machine Hyperboles NO EXIT New Music Ensemble SPACES Gallery Cleveland, Ohio |
April 14, 2023
Time Machine Hyperboles NO EXIT New Music Ensemble Heights Arts Gallery Cleveland Heights, Ohio |
April 15, 2023
Time Machine Hyperboles NO EXIT New Music Ensemble Kent State University School of Music Kent, Ohio |