CHRISTYLEZ BACON

artist website: http://www.christylez.com

press kit: https://christylezbacon.storyamp.com

social links:

Christylez Bacon (pronounced: chris-styles) is a GRAMMY-nominated Progressive Hip-Hop artist and multi-instrumentalist from Southeast, Washington, DC. As a performer, Christylez multi-tasks between various instruments such as the West African djembe drum, acoustic guitar, and the human beat-box (oral percussion), all while continuing the oral tradition of storytelling through his lyrics.

With a mission towards cultural acceptance and unification through music, Christylez is constantly pushing the envelope – from performances at the National Cathedral, to becoming the first Hip-Hop artist to be featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, composing and performing with the National Symphony Orchestra and Princeton Symphony Orchestra on multiple occasions, collaborating with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and creating an intentional culture exchange project and subsequent documentary between Washington, DC and Brasilía, Brazil.

In Washington, DC, Christylez began a cross-cultural collaborative concert series, “Washington Sound Museum” (WSM). WSM is a monthly intimate celebration of music featuring guest artists from diverse musical genres with Christylez Bacon and his progressive hip-hop orchestra. Since WSM’s inception, Christylez has collaborated with artists from various cultural backgrounds, ranging from the Hindustani & Carnatic music of India, the contemporary Arabic music of Egypt, and the music of Brazil. At the beginning for the pandemic, Christylez saw this socially-distant period as an opportunity to bring international artists and audiences together in an online video series titled, Beatbox Remix Series, which can be seen on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook Watch.

Christylez extends his artistic mission through frequent outreach to communities, leading educational performances, workshops, and residencies at schools, libraries, community centers, parks, museums, and theaters across the greater DC region and beyond.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES

Christylez combines formal training in music and visual art with more than two decades of experience as a performer, teacher, composer, and multi-genre collaborator - his engaging, educational programs may be presented in-person or virtually and can be tailored to students in grades preK-12, families, college students, and adults.

PERFORMANCES

Human Beatbox

Christylez Bacon combines rhyming, storytelling, and interactive call and response choruses with diverse instrumentation (West African djembe drum, acoustic guitar, human beatboxing). This high-energy educational program delivers a message of cultural acceptance and unification blending traditional elements of musical styles from jazz to hip-hop.

Beatbox Remix

Collaborative duo performances celebrate diverse musical traditions and explore where styles meet. Elements of hip-hop, like human beatbox, rhyming, and storytelling, blend with instruments like guzheng, balafon, and harp to create a unique musical experience spotlighting teamwork and creativity. Performances connect to Christylez’s innovative Beatbox Remix video series (Instagram, Facebook Watch, YouTube) and are engaging, memorable options for school assemblies, as well as heritage month celebrations, International Nights, festivals, and family events. Duo options available upon request and may be customized to suit themes, occasions, and events.

Beatbox Remix duo program options include:

Beatbox Remix: Hip-Hop & Harp: What happens when a hip-hop beatbox artist and a classical harp player work together? A totally unique musical experience! Join in as Christylez Bacon & Abbie Palmer create new music with your help, and learn about musical theory, creativity, & teamwork along the way. (Special theming available for celebrations of Celtic heritage, including St. Patrick’s Day)

Beatbox Remix: Christylez Bacon & Qi Yu: Guzheng (Chinese zither) artist Qi Yu joins Christylez Bacon for an innovative performance exploring cross-cultural collaboration through music. Elements of hip-hop blend with elements of traditional and modern Chinese music to bring a wholly original performance that pushes the envelope for musical collaboration. (Special theming available for Lunar New Year and AANHPI Heritage Month celebrations)

Duos with Wytold:

Classical Hip-Hop

Remixing the classics, this program merges the contrasting worlds of classical and hip-hop music in a collaborative musical program featuring progressive hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon and six-string electric cellist, Wytold. Traditional elements of hip-hop such as human beatbox, rhyming, and storytelling are blended with classical compositions of composers like Bach, Vivaldi, and Pachelbel. The Classical Hip-Hop 2.0 sequel program fuses additional pieces by Bach, Strauss, Beethoven, and Vivaldi with live-looping technology and hip-hop compositions.

Beats, Bows, & Remixes

Join Christylez Bacon and Wytold as hip-hop and classical music collide with multi-cultural collaboration, transforming well-known songs into new compositions. Learn how these musicians work as a team, listening to each other's different backgrounds and perspectives as they shape modern versions of all-time favorites, like Hot Cross Buns. Create a team remix with Christylez and Wytold that twists and turns a familiar tune into a brand-new musical invention.

WORKSHOPS & RESIDENCIES

\Workshops and residencies for students, teachers, performing ensembles, and community groups delve into topics like hip-hop songwriting, human beatbox, collaborative composition, and improvisational ideas and techniques. Workshops may be scheduled individually, in a series, or as part of an artist residency, and are tailored to each unique audience. Options available upon request.