Biography
Emerging American conductor Christopher James Lees brings passionate and nuanced orchestral performances to the stage, a fierce commitment to contemporary music, and a natural charisma to audiences all around the world.
Since 2018, Mr. Lees has served as Resident Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. In addition to the more than 70 annual concert appearances with the CSO, he has annually stepped in to conduct Subscription Classical performances, including two Gala concerts with legendary artists and Grammy Award winners Branford Marsalis and Rhiannon Giddens, respectively. He also spearheads the CSO 360, CSO OnTap, & CSO Roadshow series, expanding the orchestra’s connections & accessibility across the community.
An active guest conductor, Mr. Lees has conducted or returned for performances with the New York, Los Angeles, Rochester, & Savannah Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as the Houston, Detroit, New World, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Fort Worth, North Carolina, Knoxville, Portland, Flint, Toledo, Charleston, & Winston Salem Symphonies.
Additional engagements have taken him to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestra de Chambre de Paris, Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, and at the Music in the Mountains Festival & Festival Internacional de Inverno de Campos do Jordão in Brazil.
Only the second American Gustavo Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mr. Lees made his debut with the orchestra in April 2013 and returned for concerts in February 2015.
With the New York Philharmonic, St. Louis & Atlanta Symphonies, among others, Mr. Lees has served as an assistant conductor for the world’s leading conductors, including: Gustavo Dudamel, Paavo Järvi, Herbert Blomstedt, Leonard Slatkin, David Robertson, Robert Spano, Marin Alsop, Pablo Heras-Casado, Stéphane Denève, Susanna Mälkki, and NicholasMcGegan.
With the Charlotte Ballet, Mr. Lees has conducted full evening productions of George Bizet’s Carmen (2025), Leonard Bernstein’s Fancy Free & Facsimile (2018), and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker (2016 & 2017).
Mr. Lees was additionally named Music Director of the Rock Hill Symphony Orchestra in 2023.
After two summers of study with Robert Spano at the Aspen Music Festival, Mr. Lees was named winner of both the 2011 James Conlon Conducting Prize and the 2012 Aspen Conducting Prizes, respectively. In 2013, Mr. Lees returned for a third summer as assistant conductor for the Aspen Music Festival and School.
A recipient of a Career Assistance Grant from the Solti Foundation US, Mr. Lees was also chosen for showcase on the Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation National Conductor Preview, hosted by the League of American Orchestras and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
A dedicated advocate for music of our time, Mr. Lees has premiered more than one hundred fifty new works by a diverse range of composers. An equally passionate advocate for music education, Mr. Lees has brought inspirational energy to student orchestras across the country.
A native of Washington, D.C., Mr. Lees holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan.
When not performing, Mr. Lees can be found riding roller coasters with his eleven-year old son, reading through the stack of books on his nightstand, or training for his next marathon.
Updated September 2026