Christopher Fashun

Dr. Christopher H. Fashun is a versatile conductor, performer, and music educator. Known for his ability to conduct and perform across classical, popular, and folkloric styles, he has worked with Broadway star Doug LaBrecque, beatboxing saxophonist Derek Brown, bluegrass mandolinist Nate Roberts, tap dancer Heather Cornell, Brazilian group Choro das 3, and recorded with jazz artists Jordan VanHemert, Rodney Whitaker, and Lisa Sung on Navona Records. A champion of new music, Dr. Fashun has commissioned works from composers Texu Kim, Evan Williams, Andrew Maxfield, Choro das 3, Micheal Udow, Egemen Kesikli, and Christopher Theofanidis. Other notable conducting engagements include the Holland Symphony Orchestra, the Elkhart Symphony Orchestra, the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra, and the St. Ambrose University Community Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Fashun served as the Music Director/Conductor for the Elkhart Youth Honors orchestra and the Holland Area Youth Orchestra and conducted the Iowa All-State Symphony String Orchestra, Midwest Mennonite Festival Orchestra and Concert Band, and several All-County Festivals. 

A distinguished recipient of a 2019 Fulbright Award in the U.S. Scholar Program, Dr. Fashun lived in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil researching Afro-Brazilian music and culture. His project title, “The Dissemination of Afro-Brazilian Music in Salvador da Bahia” explored the cultural, racial, religious, and musical milieu that contribute to the shared musical identity of Afro-Brazilians and, by extension, all of Brazil. His research brings more awareness to the various ways music is taught and disseminated within Brazilian culture. As an application of this research, Dr. Fashun founded the Holland Samba School, an intergenerational community group that teaches the culture and drumming styles of Brazil. 

Central to his mission as an award winning guest conductor, clinician, and performer, Dr. Fashun seeks to create community through the joy of music. Dr. Fashun has presented sessions at the national NAfME and state music education conferences throughout the Midwest, teaching K-8 music educators how to integrate Brazilian songs, rhythms, and dance into the general music classroom. 

An accomplished percussionist and violist, he brings more than two decades of orchestral and chamber music experience and has enjoyed success in both areas as a soloist by winning three concerto competitions, one on viola and two on marimba.  As a percussionist, he has toured and performed in Brazil, Thailand, Northern Ireland, Mexico, and throughout the United States.  

Dr. Fashun holds a Bachelors of Music Education from Saint Olaf College, Masters of Music degree in Percussion Performance  from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Iowa. His conducting teachers include Steven Amundson, Timothy Mahr, David E. Becker and William LaRue Jones. He has also studied viola with Andrea Een and Christine Rutledge and percussion with Anthony DiSanza.

When he’s not making music, he is either cycling, paddle boarding, and enjoying the great outdoors with his wife and daughter.