Biography

Christopher Turbessi is a collaborative pianist most recently based in Houston, where he was a lecturer at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University; he has also been on the faculty of the Collaborative Piano Institute since its inaugural summer in 2017. This summer, he appears in recital with baritone Reginald Smith Jr. as part of the San Diego Opera Gala. Past adventures have included stints as guest music staff at the Wolf Trap Opera Company, Utah Opera, Opera Santa Barbara and the Castleton Festival; music director for productions with the Santa Fe Opera Tour and the Opera Institute at Augusta University; assistant conductor at Virginia Opera; and chorus master at Virginia Opera and Syracuse Opera. Previously an assistant conductor and the musical supervisor of HGOco at Houston Grand Opera, he oversaw the musical efforts of that department, including the workshops and world premiere performances of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players, Gregory Spears’ O Columbia, and David Hanlon’s After the Storm.  He is a graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio and holds a master of music degree in collaborative piano from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Martin Katz.