Christopher Sakowski
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Dr. Christopher Sakowski is a National Board Certified Teacher who currently teaches band in the Rockwood School District in St. Louis County, Missouri. Since 2019, he has also served as the conductor for the Saint Louis University Concert Wind Ensemble. Dr. Sakowski holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, a Master of Arts in Band Conducting from the American Band College at Sam Houston State University in Ashland, Oregon, and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Memphis.
As an undergraduate at the University of Memphis, Chris won the Concerto Competition and served as the percussion arranger for "The Mighty Sound of the South" Drum Line. With over three decades of experience in the marching arts, he has taught at various drum corps and WGI percussion ensembles, including The Bluecoats, The Crossmen, The Colts, Gateway Indoor Percussion, and The Cavaliers, where he contributed to the ensemble winning the Fred Sanford Award for "Best Percussion" at the 2011 DCI World Championships. His WGI percussion and color guard compositions have consistently qualified for championship finals at the A-, Open-, and World-Class levels. After a brief hiatus from drum corps, Chris resumed his work with former DCI World Champions, Carolina Crown, beginning with the 2025 season.
A highly sought-after adjudicator and clinician, Chris has led workshops at universities across the U.S. and in Great Britain. He has composed music for numerous ensembles, including high school and college bands, drum & bugle corps, percussion ensembles, and the NFL’s St. Louis Rams. In 2025, he was deeply honored and humbled to receive a Merit Award from the St. Louis Suburban MMEA District 5, a recognition made possible through the support and nomination of his colleagues. Additionally, Chris has had multiple wind ensemble works premiered at the Missouri Music Educators Association Convention in 2018 and 2023, and he composed a piece for the University of Memphis Percussion Ensemble that was premiered during the university’s 100th anniversary celebrations in 2012.
Chris currently resides in the St. Louis area with his family. He is proud to be an Innovative Percussion Educational Artist and a D’Addario-Evans Drumhead Performing Artist.