Chris Rosser

Chris Rosser is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, composer and producer. As a solo performer, he has opened shows for folk and pop luminaries such as John Mayer, Tom Rush, David Wilcox, Shawn Mullins, John Gorka, Nickel Creek, and more. He has released four solo singer-songwriter recordings, Archaeology (1998), The Holy Fool (2000), Hidden Everywhere (2006) and A Thousand Hands (2014).

Rosser illustrates his talent as an instrumentalist and composer in the world fusion trio Free Planet Radio. He plays the Indian dotar, sarod, Turkish cumbus oud, melodica, piano and guitar on their four album releases New Bedouin Dance (2004), The Unraveling (2008), Global Symphony Project (2016) and Stillness(2018). He also tours internationally as the keyboardist with master Turkish musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek, and plays piano, guitar and oud in Grammy-winning flute virtuoso Rhonda Larson’s ensemble, Ventus.  In 2014 with Ventus and in 2016 with Free Planet Radio, he performed over 60 concerts in the top concert halls of the People’s Republic of China.  In 2015, he began touring as the guitarist for renowned singer Lizz Wright's band.

Rosser has won songwriting contests at the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival and the Merle Watson Festival, has showcased twice at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and was a New Folk finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival. As a recipient of the 1999 WNC Regional Artists grant, he continued his studies of Hindustani classical music and the sarod (a 25-string fretless Indian lute) with world famous Indian musician Ali Akbar Khan in San Rafael, CA. In 2003 and 2017, he was awarded a prestigious songwriter/composer fellowship from the NC Arts Council. Chamber Music America awarded him and Free Planet Radio a grant in 2014 to compose and perform a three movement piece for the trio plus string quartet.  Rosser earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Miami School of Music where he studied jazz piano and studio recording.

In addition to performing, Rosser has produced and engineered over 200 CD projects for other artists in his Hollow Reed Arts recording studio in Asheville, NC.  He has composed music for national commercial spots, and TV shows on Animal Planet, TLC, Oprah Winfrey Network, PBS and more.  His song “Make A Wish” was featured in the TLC show “Jon & Kate + 8” during an episode with 12 million viewers.  He composed the score for the pilot and eight episodes of the TLC TV show “United Bates of America.”  He produced and engineered the album “Unity” for Sean Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band which debuted at #1 on the iTunes World Music Chart.