About the Artist

Dr. Christopher Wilke integrates modern and historical performance on guitar and lute with his interests in composition and research. He is director of guitar and lute studies at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music (CCM) and director of the CCM Guitar Workshop. In September 2022, the CCM guitar program celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Gala Concert featuring an alumni guitar orchestra under Wilke’s direction which gave the premiere of his composition, Double Shot.

Wilke holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (historical plucked instruments under Paul O’Dette), Mt. St. Joseph University (guitar and composition), and the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (classical guitar). He has had recordings released on Centaur Records (USA), original compositions published by Les Productions d’Oz (Montreal, Canada) and editorial work printed by Le Luth Doré (Paris, France). He’s lectured or published articles for the American Musicological Society, The Lute Society of America and the Guitar Foundation of America.

Recent performances include a special solo concert for members of the Congressional Caucus on the Arts in the US Capitol Building (Washington DC), the European Lute Festival in Füssen (Germany), the Central Coast Guitar Society (CA), the Boston Early Music Festival (MA), the Austin Peay State University Guitar Festival (TN), the Indianapolis Guitar Society (IN), and with Opera Notre Dame at the University of Notre Dame (IN). He has also performed with Flying Forms Baroque Ensemble in St. Paul (MN) and made appearances with the Columbus (OH) and Sarasota (FL) Symphony Orchestras, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the New Horizons Symphony (NM). He also recently performed guitar duo recitals with Xavier Jara and Brandon Acker. As a scholar, he has presented lectures for the American Musicological Society, the Guitar Foundation of America, the University of Notre Dame, Stony Brook University and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music 2021 Historical Performance Conference.

Wilke formerly served as president of the Lute Society of America and currently serves on the board of the Greater Cincinnati Guitar Society.