Christopher David Tillen

Christopher began playing piano at age 6 and fell in love with music, his instrument, learning, and connecting with audiences. He has been a top prize winner in many competitions including the Steinway & Sons Piano Competition, Bay State MTNA Piano Competition, URI Piano Extravaganza Bach Award, American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music, and U.S. New Star Piano Competition for both Bach and Russian Composer divisions and the A Ramon Rivera (ARR) Piano Competition. He won 1st place in the American Protégé International Competition of Piano and Strings and the United Star Competition for both Liszt and Prokofiev categories where he was additionally honored and recognized as the Grand Award winner. In addition, he was named the Fall Rivers’ Symphony Orchestra (FRSO) Young Artist Concerto winner; the Doreen B Hertzog Concerto winner; the American Fine Arts Festival Concerto Competition winner; an American Protégé International Concerto competition prize winner, Concerto Festival NYC Grand Prix winner; and the Sempre Musick Concerto first prize soloist. He was finalist for the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition at the Boston Pops. Christopher’s highlights from last season include performances of the 2nd Rachmaninoff concerto with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes under the baton of Maestro Toshiyuki Shimada and also as the soloist with the Fall Rivers Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Ray Daniels.

Christopher is a From the Top fellow and will appear on NPR’s “From the Top’s” national radio program and podcast later this season. Christopher is scheduled to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York as a golden winner of American Fine Arts Festival, as the Concerto Festival NYC Grand Prix winner and at the Winners’ Recital as the first place winner of American Protégé International Competition. Christopher has performed in many venues, community events, master classes and recitals. Christopher is Young Artist Diploma Level IV scholar candidate at the Rivers Conservatory where he studies with Ms. Erin Lindsey.

In his spare time, Christopher enjoys debating, writing, singing, musical theatre, community service and running. He is passionate about service work, social justice, equal access and community engagement. He recently returned from a service trip to New Orleans where he helped with the home rebuilding efforts of those effected by hurricane Katrina, This summer, he was a middle school teaching assistant for the Summer Academy at Boston Collegiate Charter School in Dorchester. He additionally interns at Teach for America and is a tutor with the ACHIEVE Program and the Immigrant Family Service Institute (IFSI). Christopher is the Editor-In-Chief of his school newspaper, an active member of his Model UN, debate teams, and the Nobles Theater Collective. He is president of his school’s gospel choir Imani and the Assistant Artistic Director of the Nobleonians tenor/bass acapella group.

You can find Christopher’s 2022 Contemporary Music Competition piano performance here.

You can find Christopher’s 2022 European Music Competition piano performance here.

You can find Christopher’s 2022 Romantic Music Competition piano performance here.