Originally from Baltimore, MD. Christopher Armstrong is a passionate screen scorer and concert composer. Currently studying composition under the guidance of Professor, and newly appointed Music Director of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, Matthias Pintscher at The Juilliard School, Christopher's love for jazz, orchestral music, salsa and more led to his passion for composition. Although versed in both Concert Music and "Music For the Screen", Christopher considers his most passionate drive and love to be for that of film music.
Christopher grew up with a love for both movies and music, and eventually he realized that the two had an intersectionality that was extremely powerful. Christopher dedicated himself to living in the world of this intersectionality studying the world of motion picture and composition. Going to high school at Friends School of Baltimore, Christopher had the chance to study with teachers and mentors who helped to increase his knowledge in these fields and guide him into the larger field he was trying to go into. While there, Christopher created his school's first "Fight Song" which was performed by the incredible Morgan State University Marching Band (who has performed for the NFL, World Series, Presidential Inauguration, and the Macy's Day Parade). He created his school's first ten piece student led band which has now been adopted into the school's curriculum as an elective, and was able to write a piece for the school's 40 piece String Orchestra entitled "Dreams of Paris."
In addition to studying with many mentors in high school, Christopher also studied with "Dean of Academic Core and Head of Composition" Reiko Fueting of Manhattan School of Music weekly for 8 months before entering into Juilliard. Christopher described this as "one of the most incredible and life-changing experiences he ever had" and credited this time with showing him the potential that music could have both for the Composer and for the audience. Since beginning at Juilliard, Christopher has been commissioned by The Juilliard School, "Sugar Hill Salon Chamber Music", and by students from within Juilliard. In addition, he has collaborated on numerous works with Juilliard based dancers, he was named a semi finalist in the "Cipriani Film Scoring Competition" of Italy, and has been hired to write music for the films of new and upcoming filmmakers from Juilliard, NYU, and more. Most recently, Christopher premiered "The Saudade Part 1: The Spirit Drowns", a multidisciplinary concert experience of music, color, dance, and theater. The piece was premiered by a 50 piece Orchestra in April of 2023, and included close to 60 performers in total. "The Saudade Part 1: The Spirit Drowns" is part 1 in a planned three piece orchestral trilogy, combining Christopher's love for both film and music in a concert music setting. To read more about this performance click here.
"The precise role of the artist, then, is to illuminate that darkness, blaze roads through that vast forest, so that we will not, in all our doing, lose sight of its purpose, which is, after all, to make the world a more human dwelling place."
- The Creative Process, James Baldwin
The statement above is taken from one of Mr. Baldwin's essays entitled "The Creative Process." In the past, this essay has sat in a central position on my desk to constantly act as a reminder of this point. With this statement in mind, the music I create is a broad mixture of lived experience, philosophy, imagery, color, sound, and cultural influence working in conjunction to help to benefit people in different ways. Every piece I create, I view as an opportunity try and blaze roads through that vast forest by combining different ways of thinking about music, and different ways of experiencing music. I view my work as an amalgamation of the African American, Puerto Rican, & West Indian cultures I come from, that in turn work with mostly eastern philosophy dealing with the meaning of life, the role of the artist, and mindfulness.
In addition to all of those things, having grown up with a love for motion pictures, I often find myself taking creative influence from the world of film and placing it in a musical context. Although the pieces I create can vary heavily in the topics they are meant to address, when I create a piece of music, the most prominent wish I have in mind is to try and benefit the audience by helping them to think deeper about themselves, their habits, and their way of moving through the world; all in the hopes of making the world a more human dwelling place.
