ARTISTS’ PROFILES

Australian conductor

Christopher Dragon is the Resident Conductor of the Colorado Symphony and Music Director of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. He joined the Colorado Symphony in the 2015–16 Season as Associate Conductor—a position he held for four years. For three years prior, Dragon held the position of Assistant Conductor with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to work closely with Principal Conductor Asher Fisch.

Dragon has a versatile portfolio ranging from live-to-picture performances of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jurassic Park, and Mary Poppins; a wide variety of collaborations with artists such as The Flaming Lips, Cynthia Erivo, and Wynton Marsalis; to standard and contemporary orchestral repertoire such as Danny Elfman’s Violin Concerto, Eleven Eleven, all areas of which he has become highly sought after. Dragon has become known for his charisma, high energy, and affinity for a good costume, consistently delivering unforgettable performances that have made him an audience favorite.

“Dealing with the pandemic, being in separate places, trying to survive without our best friends, without touring, not to mention the political divide in this country,” says Lettuce drummer Adam Deitch, “We really needed to unify.”

So, here it is, right on time. Unify. The eighth studio album from Lettuce, it’s also a third consecutive record made at Denver’s Colorado Sound Studios, completing a loose trilogy starting with 2019’s Grammy-nominated Elevate, and continuing with 2020’s Resonate

It’s also a benchmark moment for the sextet: Adam Deitch (drums), Ryan Zoidis (saxophone), Adam Smirnoff (guitar), Erick Coomes (bass), Nigel Hall (keyboards/ vocals), Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet).

Approaching 30 years since its humble Boston beginnings, the relentlessly soulful funk outfit has essentially lived on the road, embodying, night after night, the sly wink of its moniker: Let us play! And now, they are endorsed on Unify by none other than the legendary icon of funk Bootsy Collins, singing and playing bass on “Keep That Funk Alive.”