Education
AD, The Hartt School, University of Hartford
MM, The Hartt School, University of Hartford
BM, West Texas A&M University
Christie Echols is a performer, composer, and creative artist located in Hartford, CT whose work highlights complexities of contemporary performance through the mediums of upright and electric bass, vocals, electronics, film, poetry, theater, and dance. Their music encompasses elements of free improvisation, singer-songwriter, avant-garde, EDM, jazz, contemporary classical, performance art, and funk to create versatile performances of unconstrained artistry and diverse timbres. She has been commissioned by Hofstra University, MIRACOR FILMS, Bassists with Boobs Ensemble, and others. Echols’ prioritizes collaboration with dancers, animators, and poets to create multi-disciplinary projects. Their recent collaborations include Unknown Familiar (2023) with choreographer Alexis Robbins, Melodies of Certain Damage Opus 6 (2022) with performance artist Naama Tsabar, and The Modification of Oneself: for bass, vocals, electronics, and multimedia (2022) with poet Luisa Caycedo-Kimura. As a performer, Echols’ has been featured at Lincoln Center, the International Society of Bassists, Make Music Day Hartford, the Buttonwood Tree Center, FREE CENTER, New Haven Underground Jazz, and the Women Composers festival of Hartford. As a bassist they perform frequently with Playhouse on Park, Goodspeed Opera House, New Britain Symphony Orchestra, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Likewise, she has recorded for NAXOS, Space Camp, Into the Light Ensemble and Cassie's Crutch.