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Chris Crenshaw was born on December 20, 1982. He is originally from Thomson, Georgia. Ever since he was born, music has been his driving force. His mother Jeanette says that he did not speak a word until his sister Christian was born. He grew up with music all around him and of various influences and started playing piano on his own at the age of three. Teachers and students noticed his gift throughout his schooling. His first gig was as a keyboardist in his father, Casper's, gospel group called the Echoes of Joy. Chris Crenshaw picked up the trombone at 11 years old and hasn't let go of it since. Receiving top honors along the way, he graduated from Thomson High School in 2001 and from Valdosta State University with a Bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance in 2005. He received top honors at VSU including Most Outstanding Student in the VSU Music Department and College of the Arts. He graduated from The Juilliard School with a Master's Degree in Jazz Studies in 2007. Mr. Crenshaw was the 2004 Eastern Trombone Workshop National Jazz Solo Competition winner. His teachers include Dr. Douglas Farwell and Mr. Wycliffe Gordon and he has worked with the likes of Gerald Wilson, Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Printup, Vincent Gardner, Wycliffe Gordon, Jiggs Whigham, Carl Allen, Victor Goines, Marc Cary, Walter Blanding, Wessell Anderson, Cassandra Wilson, Eric Reed and many others. Mr. Crenshaw has been a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra since 2006.