MI SUCCESS STORY: CHRIS WRATE

Guitarist, Songwriter, and Musical Director Chris Wrate is a Nashville-based musician who graduated from the Musicians Institute with an A.A. in Guitar Performance in September 2009. Since his graduation, Chris has played with some major names in the business, including gigs with David Foster, Daniel Powter, Charice and once serving as the musical director for Ariana Grande, where he was joined by fellow MI alum Troy Laureta on keyboards.

With these opportunities, Chris has appeared on TV shows such as Oprah, American Idol, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Today Show, and Ellen. Currently, Chris can be found on the road with country music star Kelsea Ballerini.

While Chris has focused a lot of career to live performance, he also has a lot of experience in writing and studio recording. Chris has helped score a national commercial for Weight Watchers, and performed on the soundtrack for Lion’s Gate feature film, Blood Out. His work can also be found on song placements on several TV shows including Pawn Stars, Say Yes To The Dress, Counting Cars and Homeland.