Christopher Broyles

I was raised in a self-proclaimed "unmusical" family in Franklin Massachusetts. We are that family in a restaurant that makes everyone cover their ears when we sing happy birthday. Instrumental music or orchestra concerts were never part of my upbringing and I didn't start playing until I was 11 then didn't start lessons until I was 13. However, my musical endeavors began before I became a string player...

 

I began playing the french horn in 4th grade but after 10 months of driving my parents (& neighbors) crazy, I quit and decided music wasn't really for me. It wasn't until a couple of years later when I went to middle school, that I saw a string instrument in person for the first time. I was in 6th grade and begrudgingly attended a mandatory "instrument petting zoo." To this day, I am still not quite sure what possessed me, but after the demonstration, I went up to orchestra director Diane Plouffe, and asked what instrument I should play. Like most school orchestra directors, she was delighted to have me play the often overlooked middle child of the orchestra: the viola.

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After a few years of school orchestra, I began private lessons with Donald Krishnaswami. I am grateful to Mr. K for many reasons, but most of all his belief in my abilities and for the discipline he instilled in me. Without his guidance, I would not of been able to win places in the two high school programs that lead me to pursue music professionally: Rivers School Conservatory's ChamberMusicLab and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.  

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The late Bruce Coppock was the founder and director of ChamberMusicLab and a man I am humbled and grateful to call one of my greatest mentors. Bruce of course shaped my chamber music playing and musical instincts but the biggest lessons he gave was through his humility, tough love and tireless devotion to his students. Not to mention he is the reason I chose Oberlin Conservatory for my undergraduate studies.

 

In short, Oberlin changed the way I listen to the music and people around me by instilling limitless curiosity for everything around me.  If it weren't for Oberlin, I would not have fallen in love with contemporary music nor been exposed to the incredible repertoire of the past in Historical Performance. ​Most influential of all was Professor Peter Slowik who opened my eyes to the "truths" of string playing and is the single greatest influence in how I teach my students today. I admire him for many things but most of all his ability to communicate complex ideas about playing in simple terms.  I am grateful to continue my work with Professor Slowik for his legacy project, Conductivity, which was created to share his valuable teachings with every musician, free of charge.

 

I am Currently living in Los Angeles, pursuing a Masters Degree in Viola Performance at USC's Thornton School of Music on a full scholarship with Professor Yura Lee.

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Other major teachers and influences include Edwin Huizinga, Danny Kim, Lucia May, Brent Selby, the Verona Quartet & Benjamin Zander.