Christopher Swist, Trinity College lecturer in music and director of recording arts and chair of the Music Department, was the featured performer at a recent Sunday Music Series concert hosted by the New Britain Museum of American Art. The New Britain Symphony Orchestra presented “Vibraphone, Violin & Electronics,” an afternoon of Swist’s original compositions, on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
The program featured varied acoustic and electronic works for vibraphone, violin, and interactive synthesis and sound design. Swist’s compositional output spans 30 years and is published and performed by professionals and students worldwide. He has released two CDs: Whitewater (2001) and Duality (2013), with his third CD, Equal Simplicity, currently in production.
New Britain Symphony Orchestra violinist Marcia Lehninger joined Swist on the multimedia duo “Sundown Through a Glass Door,” which featured five egg tempera paintings by Larry Swist. Lehninger also performed “Duality,” a work for violin and electronics, which is a Brazilian-inspired composition written for her. Rounding out the program were a vibraphone fantasy on themes from Swist’s latest work, “Double Concerto for Marimba and Vibraphone,” as well as a nature-based piece titled “Equal Simplicity,” inspired by the writings of Thoreau.
Swist’s music has been performed by the Grand Rapids Symphony, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, The Louisville Orchestra, American Modern Ensemble, Grupo PIAP, YoungArts, and the United States Military Academy. He also presents recitals as a performer/composer who plays both acoustic and electronic music.
Swist is an orchestral musician as well, performing in the percussion sections of the symphony orchestras in Hartford, Springfield, Waterbury, New Haven, Bridgeport, Ridgefield, and Norwalk. He has been the principal percussionist of the New Britain Symphony Orchestra since 1999 and directs the NBSO’s educational outreach programs and jazz fusion ensembles. Swist recently was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, Class of 2024.
The New Britain Museum of American Art’s longstanding monthly concert series features local and regional performances from a variety of musical genres. To see the full program from the February 8 concert, click here.
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