Chris Mahan received his Bachelor’s of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder in August 2005. At Colorado, Chris studied under Doug Walter and specialized in marimba and jazz vibraphone. He received the Eric Skinner Memorial Scholarship in Percussion and was a member of the Adopt-a-Student Music honors program.

Chris received his Masters of Music in Percussion Performance from the Northern Illinois University in May 2007. At Northern Illinois, Chris studied under Greg Beyer, Robert Chappell, and Rich Holly and served as a Graduate Assistant in Percussion. At NIU, Chris played in various ensembles including playing jazz vibraphone in the world-renowned Liberace Jazztet. As a member of the Liberace Jazztet, Chris was named an Outstanding Solo Artist at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival.

In August 2008, Chris accepted positions at valley City State University and Jamestown College as Percussion Instructor. As an educator, he has toured high schools around North Dakota for education and recruitment purposes. Chris was on the percussion faculty of the International Music Camp in July 2008. He is also a certifies judge for the North Dakota High School Activities Association and judges Solo and Ensemble Competitions in North Dakota.

Chris resides in Fargo, North Dakota and plays percussion with the Fargo Moorhead Symphony Orchestra and piano with the salsa group, Soulsa. As a freelance percussionist, Chris plays with a variety of groups in the Fargo Moorhead are.