Chris Marchant

Chris Marchant
Born Christopher Joseph Marchant
(1983-12-23) December 23, 1983
Canton, Ohio
Residence New York, New York
Occupation Violinist / Singer
Co-Creator and Member of Well-Strung

Chris Marchant is the co-creator and founding member of the all-male singing string quartet "Well-Strung".[1] He was also a contestant on the 30th Season of The Amazing Race along with his Well-Strung bandmate Trevor Wadleigh.[2]

Background

Marchant was born and raised in Canton, Ohio.[3] He began singing and playing the violin at the age of nine and graduated from Malone College with a degree in music ministry.[4][3]

He moved to New York City in 2010 to pursue a career in musical theater.[4] He has performed in national touring musicals including “Sweeney Todd” and “Spring Awakening” and was a performer in the long-running off-Broadway musical production “Naked Boys Singing!” during the revue’s 2010 summer residence in Provincetown, Massachusetts.[3]

Well-Strung

Marchant is the co-creator and founding member of Well-Strung, an all-male singing string quartet.[1] All four members are openly gay.[5] They include Marchant (second violin), Edmund Bagnell (first violin), Trevor Wadleigh (viola), and Daniel Shevlin (cello).[6]

Style

The group is known for exploring the crossover between pop and classical music.[1] The group's live shows include classical pieces from composers such as Beethoven, Mozart, Dvořák, Bach, Brahms, and Vivaldi intermixed with arrangements of modern pop hits from Adele, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Pink, Kesha, Miley Cyrus, and others.[1][3][4][6]

The group will often craft its own arrangements that combine the two styles of music, such as the group’s cover of Taylor Swift's "Blank Space” layered with excerpts from Bach's "Partita No. 3" or the mash-up of Lorde’s “Royals” with composer Karl Jenkins’s "Palladio."[3][7]

During live shows, the group shares personal stories and anecdotes with the audience in between songs, resulting in a show that is part cabaret performance and part concert.[6][8]

Origins

Marchant conceived of Well-Strung with the group’s manager Mark Cortale in the summer of 2010.[1] Cortale saw Marchant busking shirtless with his violin on Commercial Street in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod.[1] They later met to discuss a collaboration and decided to form a string quartet that mixes the classical and pop genres that Marchant loves.[3]

Marchant and Cortale held auditions in New York City to round out the quartet and debuted at Joe’s Pub in New York City the Spring of 2012.[7]

Albums and Appearances

The group regularly plays in cities across America and has toured internationally, playing approximately 120 shows a year.[9][10] Since its formation, Well-Strung has held regular summer residences in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where the group got its start.[9]

In 2015, Well-Strung released its first album, POPssical, featuring the group’s signature fusion of classical musical with modern pop hits.[11] The album debuted at #8 on Billboard's Classical Crossover Chart.[12]

The group’s first music video from POPssical, "Chelsea’s Mom", was a playful reimagining of the 2003 Fountains of Wayne hit “Stacie’s Mom” in celebration of Hillary Clinton.[13][12] The video was a viral hit that culminated with a live performance of the song at a fundraiser in front of Hillary Clinton herself.[11][12]

Well-Strung has performed at the Vatican in Rome and at a gala for former President Barack Obama.[12] The group has also performed live on The Today Show, appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, and has performed live onstage with artists such as Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Patrick Harris, Audra McDonald, and Deborah Voigt.[11][12][14]

The Amazing Race

Marchant was a participant on the 30th Season of The Amazing Race, which premiered on Jan. 3, 2018, on CBS.[2]

Marchant’s partner was fellow Well-Strung bandmate Trevor Wadleigh.[2][10] Together, they formed “#TeamWellStrung” on the show.[2][10]

The pair was eliminated on the sixth leg of the race.[15] They placed fourth in each of the first three legs of the race, followed by fifth in Leg 4, seventh (second-to-last) in Leg 5, before being eliminated in the sixth leg. The team was eliminated as a result of a “U-Turn” obstacle imposed on them by a competing team.[15]

The pair was the fifth team to be eliminated, placing them seventh overall out of 11 teams in the competition.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cooper, Mariah (August 2, 2017). "Well-Strung and far-flung". Washington Blade. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Towle, Andy (December 7, 2017). "Gay 'Well Strung' Duo to Compete on 'The Amazing Race' — WATCH". Towleroad. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Biancolli, Amy (September 15, 2017). "Well-Strung a crossover ensemble". Albany Times Union. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Hawks, Bradley (March 16, 2016). "Astoria resident founded the popular classical pop quartet Well-Strung". QNS. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  5. ↑ Karlan, Sarah (July 10, 2013). "This Hunky Quartet Will Give You A New Reason To Love Classical Music". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Wong, Curtis (February 2, 2016). "In 'Well-Strung: The Singing String Quartet,' Hunky Gay Stars Play Britney, Mozart (PHOTOS)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  7. 1 2 Whitford, Emma (March 27, 2015). "Meet New York's Buffest, Poppiest String Quartet". The Cut. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Salamone, Gina (February 28, 2013). "The four hunky guys of Well-Strung are a cross between a boy band and a string quartet". New York Daily News. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  9. 1 2 List, Madeleine (December 27, 2017). "Bandmates team up for 'Amazing Race'". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 "The Amazing Race Cast: Trevor Wadleigh & Chris Marchant". CBS. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 "Well-Strung POPssical". CD Baby. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "A WELL-STRUNG CHRISTMAS to Put Pop-Classical Spin on Holiday Favorites at 54 Below". Broadway World. November 8, 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  13. ↑ Kimble, Lindsay (June 8, 2015). "Chelsea's Mom Has Got It Going On in Hilarious Hillary Clinton Parody Video". People Magazine. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  14. ↑ "Hunky quartet mash up Kelly Clarkson, Mozart". Today Show. March 18, 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  15. 1 2 Bloom, Mike (February 1, 2018). "The Amazing Race 30: Trevor Wadleigh and Chris Marchant Finish on a Low Note". Parade Magazine. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
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