Christopher Whyte

Called “hypnotic, enthralling…dynamic” (Oregon ArtsWatch), Christopher Whyte is known for his wide-ranging artistry as a performer, collaborator, composer, and educator. He has presented recitals, concerts, and masterclasses internationally in Asia, Europe, Canada and throughout the United States. 

As a founding member of the Portland Percussion Group, he is dedicated to fostering percussion performance through dynamic concerts, engaging collaborations, and the creation of new music. In October 2020, the quartet made its European debut at the GAIDA Festival of Contemporary Music in Vilnius, Lithuania performing a full length concert in addition to collaborating on Steve Reich’s iconic Drumming with the Colin Currie Quartet. 

Whyte is a member of Third Angle New Music, and regularly performs with the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Opera Orchestra, and Oregon Ballet Theater. He recently released his debut solo album on New Focus Recordings, featuring works by Lou Harrison, Sarah Hennies, Toshio Hosokawa, and an original composition for percussion and electronics, commissioned by Third Angle New Music and inspired by the process of winemaking so intertwined in the life of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. 

Whyte is currently Percussion Area Coordinator at Portland State University, has served on the faculty of Western Oregon University, and is resident faculty member of the International Percussion Institute, a summer percussion performance and research institute held annually in Aberdeen, Scotland. Whyte is currently President of the Oregon Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society and has performed or presented at the Other Minds Festival, Connecticut Summerfest, Percussive Arts Society International Convention, College Music Society (CMS), Northwest region NAfME conference, The Midwest Clinic, nienteForte Festival, Oregon Music Educators Association Conference (OMEA), the PICA Festival, New York’s Fringe Festival, and Music for All National Chamber Music Festival.