Chris Coyle

Chris Coyle is a bassist and composer based in Philadelphia, PA. Chris has gained recognition as a versatile performer and creator through an endless quest of listening, learning, collaboration, and curation. He leads his own Jazz/Experimental ensembles: Phantasma Trio, Vaux Taux, and Outside Sound. These groups have been featured in media outlets, including NPR, WHYY, WRTI, XPN, AllAboutJazz, and others. He has shared the stage with some of Philadelphia's most prominent Jazz musicians: John Swana, Behn Gillece, Doug Hirlinger, Diane Monroe, Joanna Pascale, Orrin Evans, Duane Eubanks, and others.

Chris has also performed with an array of unique ensembles: Son Step, NotSoSilentCinema, Oscuro Quintet, Conjunto Philadelphia, West Philadelphia Orchestra, Rhinoceri Trio, and notably Relache, an established force in contemporary and chamber music for 40+ years. As a composer, Chris blends chamber writing with electro-acoustic sounds, uses harmony and form to explore musical ambiguity, and utilizes an original approach to improvisation. The American Composers Forum, the McKnight Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts have recognized his composition work through grant funding. Chris has proudly organized community-based music and education projects, including extensive work with adults with disabilities at art programs in Philadelphia, Boston, and Minneapolis. He has organized free, accessible concert programming at Philadelphia libraries, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and numerous city parks.

Chris has taken his work all over the Midwest and Northeast US, as well as in Canada, Germany, and South Korea. Other interests include Jazz education, Folk music studies, and eliminating self-consciousness from arco technique. 

Awards

Chris has been recognized by the American Composers Forum, the McKnight Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

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