As a young theory and comp major Corbell became frustrated with the very specialized and cerebral composition-game of the "serious music" world. He subsequently spent years wandering in the bountiful wilderness of indie and Americana songwriting and performance, meanwhile also studying languages, mathematics, and software engineering, and writing and reading a good deal of poetry.
A return to composition over the past few years was prompted by a mission to compose new, accessible opera - a mission still underway. Studies in art-song became a new passion; Christopher founded Cult of Orpheus in 2013 as a publishing, performance and music production vehicle for such works.
Corbell served for two years as Executive Director of Classical Revolution PDX, a Portland 501(c)3 nonprofit devoted to making chamber music more accessible. As CRPDX director he programmed and produced community-based chamber-music shows, developed new programs, expanded the board of directors, and helped foster other local, emerging composers.
In 2014, faced with push-back from the CRPDX old guard over the amount of new music he was fostering, Corbell founded Muse:forward to promote emerging music in the Portland underground scene. The third Sunday of each month, he hosts the Muse:forward Emerging Music Salon at The Waypost, an open forum for experimental, electronic, ambient, compositional, improvisational and genre-defying music.
Three Representative Works: I Shall Forget You Presently (Edna St. Vincent Millay sonnet) - 2013; Only Until this Cigarette Is Ended (Edna St. Vincent Millay sonnet) - 2013; and Ein Gott vermags (Rainer Maria Rilke sonnet) - 2013
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Oregon Connection: I've lived in Oregon for over 20 years. For several years I lived in Astoria and participated in the music scene there, particularly in folk, americana, and barroom-rock-and-roll. After moving to Portland in 2000 I continued playing in indie bands and performing as a singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist. Meanwhile, I rekindled an interest in music composition (having studied it in college) and acquired my first piano.
Since about 2008 composition has been my primary creative focus, and in 2010 I encountered Classical Revolution PDX. I've premiered many works at CRPDX chamber jams, and from 2013-2015 served as Executive Director.
In 2014 I founded Muse:forward to promote the small-venue, "underground" scene of emerging music in Portland, including compositional, experimental, improvisational and electronic music.
