Bach Aria Soloists is elated to welcome hometown native Chris Komer back to Kansas City! Chris and Elizabeth Suh Lane met when they were students at the Tanglewood Music Center. Having built distinguished careers in music, they are reuniting for the first time in concert since Tanglewood. “Chris is a formidable musician—a world-renowned horn player and jazz pianist. I wanted to introduce his unparalleled talent to Kansas City with an expansive program of classics and soulful music that is pure Chris—Brahms Horn Trio, Schubert Auf dem Strom for horn, soprano and piano, along with original pieces from Komer’s solo piano album, Travlin’ Music (Folk songs, ballads and improvisations) showing Chris thoroughly in his element. Plus, a 21st c. piece for horn, violin and piano composed for Chris by composer Vivian Li called White Moose Crossing.” Elizabeth Suh Lane
Adults $40
Students $20
A native of Kansas, Chris Komer began his studies at Wichita State University with Nick Smith. He later studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Rick Solis and the Manhattan School of Music with David Jolly.
Currently splitting his time between New York City and Miami he is at home playing all types of music in all types of settings. From the concert hall (besides his current positions as Principal Horn New Jersey Symphony and Principal Horn of the Miami City Ballet he has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra) to the jazz club (Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Chico O’Farrell Orchestra, Chuck Mangione, Paquito D’Rivera) to the recording studio (J. J. Johnson, McCoy Tyner, Harry Connick Jr., Natalie Cole, Tony Bennet, Barbra Streisand, Audra McDonald, 16 major motion picture soundtracks and hundreds of TV themes and commercials) to the Broadway Show Pit (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Candide, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Music Man, La Boheme, South Pacific, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and West Side Story) his versatility is second to none.
He has also appears regularly with many successful chamber groups including the Burning River Brass, and Miami’s Nu-Deco Ensemble.
His hobbies include Drum and Bugle Corps (former member of the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps from Concord, California), playing jazz piano, motorcycling, and hiking and camping. He has also founded a performing artists’ retreat in the Rocky Mountains of Montana called the Artist's Refuge at Thunderhead and spends his summers there. (www.thunderheadrefuge.com)
In 2009 he released his first solo piano cd entitled Travlin' Music featuring all original music. It can be found on all of the streaming platforms.