Christopher M. Smith

Christopher M. Smith is the Professor of Horn at Texas Tech University where he teaches applied horn and plays in the Faculty Brass Quintet and the Mariah Winds.

He earned a Bachelors in Music Performance from Murray State University where he was awarded The Most Outstanding Senior Man in Music and studied with Charles (Skip) Snead, and holds a Master in Music Performance with Honors from the University of Michigan where he studied with Lowell Greer, the renowned horn artist, and pedagogue.

Mr. Smith has been a finalist and winner of many competitions throughout the United States and Canada. He is also an extensive recitalist, performing frequently not only at the university level but at other venues when his schedule permits. He has appeared as a soloist and a frequent guest artist at regional, and International workshops sponsored by the International Horn Society. He is also an extremely sought-after adjudicator, having judged the American Horn Competition and the International Horn Competition of America several times since 1994. He also holds the high distinction of being the youngest judge ever to adjudicate the above-mentioned competitions.

He is currently Principal Horn of the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra of Santa Fe, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, and Caprock Pro Musica. He has held Principal or Associate Principal Positions with the Barcelona Symphony, Sinfonia da Camera, Owensboro Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, Champaign-Urbana Symphony, Paducah Symphony, Jackson Symphony, Lansing Symphony, Saginaw Symphony Orchestras. Other orchestras with which he has been associated have been the Detroit Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Windsor Symphony, and the American Wind Symphony. In addition to his experience on the valve horn, Mr. Smith has also performed natural and Baroque horn with the Early Music Foundation of New York and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra of San Francisco. Mr. Smith can be heard on Dorian, Naxos, Marco Polo, Walking Frog, Zephyr, Arabesque, and Harmonia Mundi recording labels.

A respected pedagogue, Mr. Smith has written articles concerning horn for The Instrumentalist magazine, SBO (School Band and Orchestra Magazine), and the Horn Call. In addition, he is a frequent clinician at regional workshops sponsored by the International Horn Society and has been on faculty at the Hot Springs Music Festival in Arkansas. Committed to public school education, he is on the summer faculty at the Texas Tech Summer Band and Orchestra Camp and has taught at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, working with talented high school students from across the country. He also is in demand as a frequent clinician in the public schools and educator workshops.

Mr. Smith's students have had great success in education and performance fields, including the New York Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Kansas City Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, United States Navy Band, United States Airforce Band, and the United States Coastguard Band. The horn studio at Texas Tech has attracted talented students from all over the United States, Europe, and Asia. These students have also been accepted into prestigious music festivals and graduate programs worldwide.

To contact Mr. Smith, email christopher-m.smith@ttu.edu.