BIOGRAPHY

​Chris Dorner (b. 2004) is a composer who represents an intersection between contemporary classical music and rock and jazz.  Chris first explored composition by transcribing his favorite metal songs and gradually began writing his own music. Early into this journey, Chris became enamored by the idea of creating a soundscape found in contemporary classical music. Chris is a student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, pursuing degrees in Music Education and Music Composition—studying under Marco Adrián Ramos, his former teachers include Robert K. Mueller, Jeremy Lynn Allen, and Rick Salonen, secondary teachers have included Jennifer Jolley, Sara Carina Graef, and Karen Walwyn. Chris collaborates with many ensembles at the U of A, several groups premiering original works, transcriptions, or arrangements, and some commissioning him. Chris has self-published numerous pieces and has performances ranging from Arkansas, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, to Texas. Chris is also a member of several professional organizations and composition communities. Most notably, Chris is a member of the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP), the International Horn Society (IHS), and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Chris is a featured composer for the 2025 iteration of Dr. Kris Carlisle’s award-winning project, The American Evolution highlighting the voices of queer composers. Chris has been a selected composer for the 2019 Aspiring Artists of Texas Call for Scores, the 2021 Evan Erickson Call for Scores, an awarded winner of the 2022 Penn State Ballora-Wang Young Composers Competition, and a presenter at the 6th-annual Research On Contemporary Composition Music Festival (ROCC-6) at the University of North Georgia.