ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Christopher Sakowski (b. 1978) is a National Board Certified Teacher, who teaches in the Rockwood School District and is the conductor for the Saint Louis University Concert Wind Ensemble. He completed his Master of Arts in Band Conducting from the American Band College of Sam Houston State University in Ashland, Oregon and received his Bachelor of Music Education from The University of Memphis.

As an undergraduate at The University of Memphis, Chris was a winner of the Concerto Competition and was the percussion arranger for “The Mighty Sound of the South” Drum Line. Chris has over two decades of experience in the marching arts, having taught at various drum corps and WGI percussion ensembles, including The Bluecoats, The Crossmen, The Colts, Gateway Indoor Percussion, and The Cavaliers, where he assisted in winning the Fred Sanford Award for “Best Percussion” at DCI World Championships in 2011. Many of is WGI percussion and color guard compositions have qualified for championship finals performance at the A-, Open- and World-Class levels.

Chris is a sought after adjudicator/clinician and has led workshops at numerous universities, and in Great Britain. He has composed music for ensembles all over the U.S. and abroad, including numerous high school and college bands, drum & bugle corps, percussion ensembles, and the NFL’s St. Louis Rams. He has had multiple wind ensemble works premiered at the 2018 and 2023 Missouri Music Educators Association Convention and wrote a piece for the University of Memphis Percussion Ensemble that was premiered as part of the 100th anniversary of The University of Memphis in 2012. Chris currently lives in the St. Louis, MO area with his family. He is proud to be an Innovative Percussion Educational Artist.