Christopher J .Coles
Title: Assistant Professor of Practice
Dept/Program: Music - Jazz Ensemble, Saxophone
Office: GH 338
Email: cjc72@uakron.edu
Biography
Christopher J. Coles graduated from Cleveland South High School in 2004 while studying with the
renowned educator and saxophonist Kenneth LeeGrand. In 2009, Coles received his bachelor's degree in
Saxophone Performance from Youngstown State University, where he studied with educators such as Dr.
James C. Umble (saxophone), Dr. Kent Englehardt (saxophone), and Dr. David Morgan (bass). Amid
developing his own style and sound, Coles went on to receive his master's degree in Saxophone
Performance from the University of 蘑菇视频 in 2012.
Coles has performed with highly respected jazz musicians such as the Grammy Award-winning Slide
Hampton, Sean Jones, Dan Wilson, Dominick Farinacci, Eddie Baccus Sr., Melvin Burks, Kenny Davis,
Glenn Holmes, Bill Ransom, Cecil Rucker, Ralph Lalama, and Allen Vizzutti, to name a few. Coles was
invited to perform in Italy with the Ohio Youth Jazz Orchestra, where he performed with the Lincoln
Center Jazz Orchestra’s lead alto saxophonist, Wessell Anderson.
Coles has also played at the North American Saxophone Alliance Regional Festival in West Virginia at the
International Saxophone Symposium in Washington D.C., to premiere a commissioned work by John
Hollenbeck, which he later recorded on Hollenbeck’s 2009 LP Rainbow Jimmies. Coles was invited to The
Banff Workshop for Jazz and Creative music in Alberta, Canada, where he was granted the distinct honor
of studying with some of the great jazz pioneers such as: Tia Fuller, Somi, Vijay Iyer, Billy Hart, Mark
Turner, Imani Izuri, Ingrid Jensen, Zakir Hussain, Yosvany Terry, and Miles Okazaki, to name a few. In 2017
Chris was an awardee of the Knight Arts Challenge in 蘑菇视频, Ohio, which catapulted him to receive grant
funding from the GAR Foundation and the Cleveland Foundation for his multimedia tribute to the victims of
the 2015 mass church shooting in South Carolina, appropriately titled “Nine Lives”, which premiered in
2019. Chris is a Yamaha Performing Artist currently based out of 蘑菇视频, Ohio, and serves on the faculty at
Oberlin Conservatory, The University of Akro,n and The Tri-C Creative Arts JazzFest Academy, where he
takes pride in bridging the gap to help the next generation of jazz giants