A professional percussionist, UC Davis lecturer in music and advocate of musical education, Chris Froh has built a career fostering the talent of musicians while helping students discover new ways of listening and connecting through music.
But Froh didn’t always plan to become a professional musician. In fact, he didn’t even start on percussion. His first spark of interest in music happened in elementary school after spending time with his aunt, who was dating a flutist at the time.
“My aunt’s boyfriend would walk around the basement practicing his flute, and it was the coolest thing I’d ever heard,” Froh explained. “But my arms were too short to hold a flute so I took baroque recorder lessons instead.”
As it turned out, playing the recorder was the furthest thing from “cool” in third grade, he said. By the time he was in fifth grade he was determined to pick a different instrument: the snare drum.
“I felt like such a geek playing the recorder. Honestly, I chose to play the drums so that I wouldn’t seem like such a geek,” Froh said.
By the end of middle school, Froh was encouraged to try another percussive instrument called a marimba, and with this encouragement came a desire to pursue music more seriously. He went on to attend the Eastman School of Music, study at a conservatory in Japan and ultimately transfer to the University of Michigan, where he met his wife. The two moved to San Francisco after graduation to start their professional lives.
“We found a place to live, got day jobs, and started freelancing,” said Froh, “About five years later I had enough freelance work where I could quit all of my day jobs and just be a musician.”
In 2005, Froh started teaching part time at UC Davis on top of his performances. He juggled teaching with travel and performances for many years until the COVID pandemic prompted a shift.
“When COVID happened, I had time to re-evaluate things. I had little kids at the time, and I realized that one of my primary values was being with family.”
Today, Froh works full time as a UC Davis lecturer in music and percussion. He continues to perform selectively, particularly with visiting artists and UC Davis’ Empyrean Ensemble. Recent projects include a residency with Japanese percussionist Mayumi Hama, for which students and faculty were able to premiere new works.
“It has such an impact on students, giving them a chance to work with professional artists. It’s incredible to be in a role where I get to foster that growth,” Froh said.
When it comes to the general music course Froh teaches, where students come from a wide variety of music backgrounds, Froh said his goal is to help students engage more deeply with the world through sound.
“Music adds a richness to our lives that you can’t always find in other disciplines,” said Froh. “It’s just a very different way of experiencing the world.”