Artist Biographies

Christopher James Lees

resident conductor

Christopher James Lees was named Resident Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony in 2018.

Emerging American conductor Christopher James Lees brings passionate and nuanced orchestral performances to the stage, a fierce commitment to contemporary music, and a natural charisma to audiences all around the world.

In 2018, Mr. Lees began an appointment as Resident Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra. In addition to the more than 50 annual concert appearances with the CSO, he has stepped in to conduct Subscription Classical performances on four occasions, including a gala weekend with Grammy Award winning artist and Jazz legend Branford Marsalis in May 2021.

An active guest conductor, Mr. Lees has returned for performances with the Los Angeles and Rochester Philharmonics, the Houston, Detroit, Milwaukee, North Carolina, Portland, and Flint Symphonies, and conducted debuts with the Indianapolis, Kansas City, Toledo, and Vermont Symphonies.

Additional engagements have taken him to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestra de Chambre de Paris, Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, and at the Music in the Mountains Festival & Festival Internacional de Inverno de Campos do Jordão in Brazil.

Only the second American Gustavo Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mr. Lees made his debut with the orchestra in April 2013 and returned for concerts in February 2015.

A dedicated advocate for music of our time, Mr. Lees has premiered more than one hundred fifty new works by a diverse range of composers, and collaborated closely with Pulitzer Prize winners John Adams, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, Jennifer Higdon, Joseph Schwantner, Steven Stucky, Caroline Shaw, Roger Reynolds, and Julia Wolfe.

An equally passionate advocate for music education, Mr. Lees has brought inspirational energy to student orchestras across the country, from the Colburn School to the New England Conservatory, and previously served on the faculties of the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Tony DeSare

vocals & piano

Mr. DeSare first appeared with the Charlotte Symphony in the fall of 2019 for Sinatra and Beyond.

Named a Rising Star Male Vocalist in Downbeat magazine, Tony DeSare has lived up to this distinction by winning critical and popular acclaim for his concert performances throughout North America and abroad. From jazz clubs to Carnegie Hall to Las Vegas headlining with Don Rickles and major symphony orchestras, DeSare has brought his fresh take on old school class around the globe. DeSare has four Top 10 Billboard jazz albums under his belt, and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, NPR, A Prairie Home Companion, the Today Show and his music has been posted by social media celebrity juggernaut, George Takei. DeSare has also collaborated with YouTube icons Postmodern Jukebox. DeSare’s most recent release, Lush Life, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Chart.

DeSare is also an accomplished, awardwinning composer. He not only won first place in the USA Songwriting Contest, but wrote the theme song for the motion picture My Date With Drew, several broadcast commercials, and composed the soundtracks for the Hallmark Channel’s Love Always, Santa and Lifetime’s new A Welcome Home Christmas.

DeSare’s forthcoming appearances include performances with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, The New York Pops, Kansas City Symphony, and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.

DeSare releases new recordings, videos of standards and new originals regularly on his YouTube channel, iTunes and Spotify. Follow Tony online:

tonydesare.com

Tony DeSare is a Yamaha Artist.

Gary Fry

composer/arranger

Mr. Fry’s first appearance with the Charlotte Symphony was 2018’s production of Magic of Christmas.

Gary Fry is an Emmy-winning composer, arranger, producer, conductor, and music educator. He has crafted music for recordings, films, commercials, and live performances. Significant credits include his work as arranger/composer for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Welcome, Yule! holiday concerts for nearly 20 years, his current position as arranger/composer for the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s Magic of Christmas programs, artistic consultant to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for their annual Christmas Celebration concerts, and over 100 commissions for Christmas and holiday music from those orchestras and others around the nation. Long one of the nation’s foremost commercial music producers, Gary has written and produced over 2,500 nationally broadcast radio and television commercials for companies such as McDonald’s, Sears, United Airlines, Kellogg’s, the U.S. Air Force, and hundreds of other advertisers. He won an Emmy Award in 2006 for his original commercial music for WBBM-TV (Chicago). Gary and his wife, Carol, live in the Charlotte area, where two of their grown children live.