Born in 1984, Christopher began playing the clarinet at the age of eleven. In 2000 he gained a Music Scholarship to study with Patrick Shelley at Sherborne School in Dorset for the duration of his sixth form studies. In 2001 Christopher was appointed principal Bass Clarinettist with the National Youth Orchestra where he received coaching from John Bradbury, amongst others, who subsequently became his teacher at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2002. Christopher was a student on the ‘Joint Course’ with the University of Manchester and in July 2005 graduated with honours, being placed in the first class. He has just completed his fourth and final year of study at the RNCM taught by Nicholas Cox.
Christopher has been a recipient of the RNCM’s ‘Winfield/Grayam’ prize for solo woodwind and devotes much of his time to chamber music. He has recently been awarded first place in the RNCM's most prestigious chamber music prize, the Granada Prize, for his performance of Penderecki's Quartet for Clarinet and String Trio. He was also a finalist in the same competition with the Coupland Ensemble playing Brahms' Clarinet Trio.
Christopher has made numerous other appearances at the RNCM as a chamber musician, including performances of Malcom Arnold's Divertimetno for Wind Octet, Schumann's 'Fairy Tale pieces', Khachaturian's Clarinet Trio and Ravel's 'Introduction and Allegro' for flute, clarinet, string quartet and solo harp.
Last summer he toured the Yorkshire Dales with the Vacation Chamber Orchestra playing Schubert’s Octet in F and an arrangement of Richard Strauss’ 'Till Eulenspiegel' for five instruments. With the same ensemble he recently gave performances of Nonets by Martinu and Novak together with Nielsen’s 'Serenata In vano', opening the Ripon Cathedral Concerts Society 2005 season. At the end of July Christopher is due to perform as a concerto soloist with the European Vacation Chamber Orchestra on their tour of Italy and Switzerland. He will then revisit Italy in August to appear with the Orchestra dell'Accademia of the 2006 Stresa Conducting Competition.