Christopher Wills

Adjunct Professor, Department of Music

Christopher J. Wills is a professional composer, arranger, orchestrator, and pianist based in Southern California. As a composer, Wills served as composer-in-residence with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic at SUNY. He has won Hollywood awards such as the Irwin Kostal Memorial Award for Composition, adjudicated by Quincy Jones and presented by John Williams at the Beverly Hilton, and national awards such as the Kenneth Davenport National Competition for Orchestral Works with world premiere performances at the Bardavon Opera House. Wills composed an original work entitled A Centennial Tribute to celebrate the 1908 founding of Biola University. He worked with Invisible Children’s Jason Russell (known for his “KONY 2012” viral video), scoring, conducting, and recording his USC master’s thesis at the Steven Spielberg Scoring Stage and screened at the Norris Cinema Theatre. Wills also contributed animation film trailer music for Colossal’s Hollywoodland.
As an arranger and orchestrator, Wills penned an orchestral overture for the Moody Blues, featured as the opener for concerts with the Houston Symphony at Jones Hall, Philly Pops at Kimmel Center, and dozens more, conducted by maestro Michael Krajewski. Wills also collaborated with Persian singer Hafez Nazeri in an album project to be performed by the Boston Symphony under John Mauceri with pianist Marc André Hamelin, the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road studio, and a concert with the Pacific Symphony (for Nowruz, Persian New Year). Wills has received commissions to arrange works for the Boston Pops, Atlanta Symphony and Chorus, Houston Symphony, and others for pops programs presenting the music of Carole King (featuring Tony-nominated Liz Callaway), Simon and Garfunkel, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, and Elton John. Wills also contributed to the album Great Voices Sing John Denver with Placido Domingo. Wills was also contracted as a choral arranger for Lillenas Publishing.
As a performer, Wills recorded for film and television productions, including Columbia Pictures’ Spider-Man 2. He shared the stage with Garth Brooks, Joe Walsh, Amy Grant, and Michael Martin Murphey for the Colorado Music Hall of Fame event entitled The Rocky Mountain Way, a sold-out concert at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater that attracted 20,000 concertgoers and aired on AXS TV, PBS Soundstage, Apple TV, and Roku Channel. Murphey and Wills are scheduled to appear on the Today Show to perform the song “Wildfire” to promote a new film starring the late Anne Heche. Wills has toured with singer/actress Lorna Luft (daughter of Judy Garland), for events with tenor Steve Amerson; actors, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen; Broadway stars, Dale Kristien and Jordan Bennett; and musicals such as Disney’s The Little Mermaid at the Carpenter Center. He has also performed concerts with numerous orchestras around the country including the Pacific Symphony.

Academic Area

School of the Arts