Christoph Wagner

Dr. Christoph Wagner is a prize-winning cellist and sought-after pedagogue and lecturer whose mission is to transform the world through music. He received first prizes at the German Youth Competition Jugend Musiziert, Ribalta Mozart Italia in Italy, and the Peter Pirazzi Competition in Germany. Prize-winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters competition in Bloomington, Indiana in both 2016 and 2017, he holds scholarships from the Richard Wagner Verband in Frankfurt, the Lions Club in Karlsruhe, and the Theodor Rogler Foundation for Young Musicians. In 2018, he received the Sviatoslav Richter Grant from Rice University, followed by the Amici di Via Gabina Fellowship in 2019 for research and performances in Italy. Wagner has performed in major concert halls in Europe such as the Berlin Philharmonie and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam under renowned conductors including Jonathan Nott, Lothar Zagrosek and Stefan Asbury, and appeared at festivals throughout Europe and the US. His international career has spanned four continents, including appearances in Switzerland, Croatia, France, Italy, South Africa, South America, China, South Korea and the US.

Wagner has been a passionate music ambassador as fellowship holder from Live Music Now – Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in Germany and as a musician in Classical Connections in Bloomington where he played numerous concerts in underserved areas. Active in expanding the role of the arts in community outreach, Wagner participated in a summer residency with LA Street Symphony in Los Angeles in 2018, working with homeless and prison communities, and was a Young Artist Fellow with DA CAMERA Houston from 2018 – 2020. 

Wagner received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Music in Frankfurt, a Master of Music at Indiana University, and received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. As a graduate research fellow at Houston Methodist Research Institute he conducted research focusing on injuries and injury prevention in orchestral musicians. He taught as adjunct faculty of music at Lone Star College in Houston from 2018 – 2023 and regularly gives masterclasses and lectures throughout the US and South America.