Musician · Educator
Musician, educator, and lifelong student of music.
Chris Friesen is a musician and educator based in Hood River, Oregon. His work spans performance, composition, recording, and teaching, shaped by more than a decade of professional experience and a continuing curiosity about how music is learned, practiced, and shared.
Chris's musical education and professional experience have shaped an approach to musicianship that values fluency over specialization: listening deeply, understanding how music works, and developing the ability to communicate across instruments, styles, and situations.
Selected Experiences
Performance & Touring
North Sea Jazz · Love Supreme · London Jazz Festival · Java Jazz · Pori Jazz · Jazzkaar
Broadcast
BBC Radio One Live Lounge · Dutch National Television · NPO Radio
Selected Recording Work
Jarrod Lawson · The Wishermen · Saffire Bouchelion · Stoneface Honey · Tyrone Hendrix
Selected Collaborations
Lady Rizo
Education
Clackamas Community College — Music Education / Performance
Alan Jones Academy of Music — Composition / Music Business
As a bassist and multi-instrumentalist, Chris has spent much of his professional career performing, recording, and touring. His work with Jarrod Lawson included the 2014 self-titled album and extensive international touring, with performances at North Sea Jazz, Love Supreme, London Jazz Festival, Java Jazz, Pori Jazz, Jazzkaar, and other festivals across Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. His performance history also includes appearances on BBC Radio One and Dutch national television.
As an educator, Chris approaches music much like a language—something learned through listening, imitation, experimentation, practice, performance, and reflection. Rather than treating technique, theory, ear training, improvisation, composition, and performance as separate subjects, he sees them as interconnected parts of becoming a more capable and independent musician.
Music is a lifelong practice.
There is always more to hear, understand, refine, and explore.