Dr. Christopher Nigrelli
Applied Low Brass
Music History
Instrumental Ensembles
Music Program Coordinator

Chris Nigrelli is an associate professor of music at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, where he conducts the jazz ensemble, brass ensemble, teaches applied low brass and music history. He is principal trombonist of the Western Piedmont Symphony, and a  founding member of the Charlotte Chamber Brass. His performance credits include serving as a substitute trombonist for orchestras across Michigan, Illinois and North Carolina, as a commercial musician in jazz and rock bands, summer stock musical productions, and touring companies. 

Recent performance highlights include a tour of Germany with the Lenoir-Rhyne A Cappella Choir and Brass Ensemble, the Midwest Clinic in Chicago and performances at the International Trombone Festival in Nashville, TN. Chris is a past winner of the Robert Marsteller Award of the International Trombone Association. He holds a doctorate in trombone performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as degrees from the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University. His former teachers include Elliot Chasanov, H. Dennis Smith, Steve Wolfinbarger, Russell Brown, and Gary Sexton.