Chris Baum is a contemporary violinist, composer, educator, and recording artist. A pioneer of modern string technique, his strength lies in his versatility, consistently pushing boundaries while molding his playing to fit ensembles and genres often deemed unsuitable for the instrument. Trained in a demanding classical environment, Baum expanded his musical vocabulary at Berklee College of Music, where he graduated with honors with a degree in film scoring and composition. His work has been featured across the globe, from Boston’s Symphony Hall to Tokyo’s Hitomi Memorial Hall and Beijing’s Workers Arena.
Baum’s list of credits includes collaborations with Leprous, The Dear Hunter, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Ihsahn, The World Is a Beautiful Place…, Ben Levin, ShoutHouse, ICEBERG, Mantra Percussion, Capcom Live, Amanda Palmer, Robbie Fitzsimmons, Harmonix, Output, Shibui, Dropkick Murphys, Hanson, Richard Henshall, Wheat, Art Decade, and Jherek Bischoff. At present, he creates music with Bent Knee, is a touring member of the Guy Mendilow Ensemble and Einar Solberg’s band, and performs as a soloist for the Video Game Orchestra. He currently lives in Gloucester, MA, where he keeps a select teaching studio of private violin and composition students.