Media Kit

Biography

Long Biography

Christina “Chrissie” Placilla
Executive Director, Author, & Musician
Church Street School for Music and Art | New York, NY

Christina “Chrissie” Placilla believes music education is about systemic change, accessibility, and community, not rigid perfectionism. As Executive Director of Church Street School for Music and Art in Lower Manhattan, she brings this philosophy to arts administration daily.

Previously, as Director of Education for New York City’s Harmony Program, Chrissie masterminded an expansion from 300 to over 3,000 students while managing partnerships with the New York Philharmonic, Juilliard, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. When March 2020 hit and the world shut down overnight, she refused to let the music stop. She pivoted the organization to a fully online model, preserving virtual performance and continuity during one of the most isolating times in New York City history.

Chrissie consistently delivers nationally recognized programming straight to school sites, including Harmony Program student collaborations with Rachel Barton Pine and Jessie Montgomery for the Music by Black Composers Project, featured on CBS Evening News; and Anthony McGill, featured on the NBC Today show. Expanding her current school's digital media footprint, she orchestrated an exclusive partnership with Sesame Workshop and Rivr Media, appearing as a lead on-camera personality for Cookie Monster's Bake Sale.

In academia, Chrissie achieved the rank of Full Professor at Winston-Salem State University, serving as Director of Orchestra and as the Faculty Senate Chair. Her faculty tenure also includes Salem College and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Sessions.

A double prize-winner of the National David Dalton Research Competition sponsored by the American Viola Society, Chrissie is widely published in peer-reviewed journals. Her musicology research excavates masterworks by underrepresented composers to dismantle traditional concert stage gatekeeping, while her pedagogy focus utilizes kinesthetic learning for advanced string intonation and ensuring repertoire selection is always tailored exactly to an individual student’s level and musical development.

As a concert violist, she was an invited competitor at the prestigious Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and has performed throughout the US, Australia, and Spain. Her unique musical voice is backed through a 2007 Winston-Salem Forsyth Council Regional Artist Grant, sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and as the violist on the multiplatinum punk rock album Oi to the World by the Vandals. Chrissie holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts and is the intellectual property creator for a five-book upmarket fiction franchise.

Medium Biography:

Christina “Chrissie” Placilla is an accomplished arts administrator, educator, concert violist, and author who is currently serving as the Executive Director of Church Street School for Music and Art in Lower Manhattan. Dedicated to systemic change, accessibility, and community, she rejects rigid perfectionism in favor of inclusive arts education.

Previously, as Director of Education for New York City’s Harmony Program, Placilla oversaw an expansion from 300 to over 3,000 students while managing partnerships with the New York Philharmonic, Juilliard, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. During March 2020, she pivoted the organization online to preserve performance continuity. Her recognized programming includes collaborations with Rachel Barton Pine, Jessie Montgomery, and Anthony McGill, featured on CBS and NBC. She also orchestrated an exclusive digital media partnership with Sesame Workshop, appearing on Cookie Monster's Bake Sale.

In academia, Placilla was Full Professor at Winston-Salem State University, serving as Director of Orchestra and Faculty Senate Chair. She also taught at Salem College and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. A double prize-winner of the National David Dalton Research Competition, her published research focuses on underrepresented composers to dismantle concert stage gatekeeping.

As a concert violist, she competed at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and performed across the US, Australia, and Spain. Backed by a regional artist grant, she played viola on the multiplatinum punk rock album Oi to the World by the Vandals. Placilla holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts and created a five-book fiction franchise.

Short Biography:

Christina “Chrissie” Placilla is the Executive Director of Church Street School for Music and Art, championing inclusive education. Previously, as Harmony Program’s Director of Education, she expanded enrollment from 300 to 3,000+ students and launched partnerships with the New York Philharmonic and Sesame Workshop.

In academia, Placilla was a Full Professor at Winston-Salem State University. Her award-winning research focuses on underrepresented composers. An international concert violist, she has performed globally and recorded on the Vandals' multiplatinum album. Placilla holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts and created a five-book fiction franchise.