Living in multiple musical dimensions, Chris Sies joins the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as Principal Percussionist in the Fall of 2024. Chris seeks to bring visceral sonic experiences to audiences through his “virtuoso flair” (Detroit Free Press) and unique voice. Having made a career primarily as a chamber musician, Chris has composed, produced, and performed with a multitude of artists, collaborating with acts such as the GRAMMY-award winning Attacca Quartet, the Akropolis Reed Quintet, the National Arab Orchestra, Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble, Shara Nova’s My Brightest Diamond, Kid Millions with Man Forever, the JUNO-award nominated Land’s End Ensemble, among many others. He has performed extensively throughout North America at venues including the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, (le) poisson rouge, Princeton University, along with performances on the Vans Warped Tour, Sled Island Music and Arts Festival, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Detroit’s Strange Beautiful Music, and the Bowling Green New Music Festival.
Possessing a “searing intensity” (College Music Symposium), Chris made his debut on New Amsterdam Records in 2019 as the percussionist and composer with the cross-continental new music ensemble, Latitude 49 on the release of their second album, Wax and Wire, listed on Bandcamp’s Best of Contemporary Classical of 2020. With an aim to combine elements of power electronics and death metal genres in his chamber music, Sies’ “aural assault” (TEMPO) these (were) used to harm, is a substantial feature on this release. In addition to his work with Latitude 49, Chris also records under the duo project ARCHISMS with long-time friend and collaborator Sam Cooper, and is a member of the Luminos.space collective, an arts collective dedicated to presenting multi-dimensional experiences in sculpture, light, and sound. Chris also performs under the moniker S[K]IES – a solo project dedicated to what he calls psychedelic noise-metal through relentless experiments with percussion and electronics that focus on sounds and structures inspired from altered states of consciousness. The investigation of innate listening mechanisms in psychedelic states remains a critical part of Chris’s research, as part of his doctoral dissertation Sensate | Sublimate.
Aside from his work as a composer/performer, Chris is an in-demand orchestral musician, having performed with various orchestras across North America and Europe including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Sarasota Orchestra, and the Grafenegg Academy Orchestra, among others. In addition to New Amsterdam Records, Chris can be heard on New Focus Recordings, Furious Artisans, Flag Day Recordings, A New Age for New Age, and the NAXOS recording labels. Chris now proudly calls YYC home as a founder and co-director of the Sound Atlas New Music Festival and is on the music faculty at the University of Calgary.