Chris Opperman

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Chris Opperman (born November 20, 1978) is an award-winning composer who has recently emerged into the mainstream. Opperman is known mostly for his work orchestrating the music of guitar heroes Steve Vai and Mike Keneally for their respective performances with Holland's Metropole Orkest. Opperman also performed on Steve Vai's first round of orchestral concerts and the song "Lotus Feet" was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Also, the song "The Attitude Song" from Vai's Sound Theories, Vols. I & II album was nominated for the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

However, Opperman has several albums of his own music which is essentially a cross between 90s alternative rock and his favorite 20th-century composers (Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Webern, and Zappa). His main instrument is the piano on which he is considered a unique and passionate player. However, he has also been known to play the trumpet and the guitar on occasion, and will rarely sing. Opperman was born in New York City. He lives in Los Angeles, California, where he performs regularly with his band Special Opps.

For all of his multiple-genre excursions into rock and jazz, Opperman nonetheless sees himself first and foremost as a classical composer. “If Beethoven were alive today,” says Opperman, “he would be pushing the envelope with his musicians, utilizing the latest technology, and embracing many styles of music to create his own inimitable sound. That’s the standard I am striving to achieve.”

[edit] Discography

[edit] Solo albums

1. Oppy Music, Vol. I: Purple, Crayon. (1998)
2. Klavierstucke (2001)
3. Concepts of Non-linear Time (2004)
4. Beyond the Foggy Highway (2005)