Prescott, Arizona (Feb. 5, 2026) – Professor and Faculty Program Director for Performing Arts at Yavapai College Christopher Tenney has a long track record with musical training and the performing arts. He performed and toured nationally and internationally with The Tucson Boy's Chorus starting at the early age of eight.
He later pursued and received Highest Honors in his graduate studies, graduating with a master’s degree, also in Music Education, from Boston University, where he is currently in his final semester of earning his Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education.
Tenney started teaching at Yavapai College in 2016, but he’d visited previously and the place made an impression on him.
“I first became familiar with Yavapai College while attending an event here as choir director of Chino Valley High School in 2009,” Tenney said. “I was immediately impressed by the facilities and the scope of the program, and I remember thinking that it was a place doing something special. That initial impression stayed with me long before I eventually joined the faculty.”
In Tenney’ role at Yavapai College, he serves as a mentor to music and theatre faculty and music degree seeking students. He teaches music theory courses, directs the Symphonic Band and several jazz ensembles. His position takes him across the state in a clinician/recruiting capacity, and his student-led jazz combo performs for hundreds of high school students each year.
As a conductor, Tenney has worked with Yavapai College’s musical theatre department to music direct and conduct the pit orchestra for several large-scale musicals, including Fiddler on the Roof (2025), Anastasia (2024), Chicago (2022), A Christmas Carol (2018), and White Christmas (2017).
“I truly love teaching at Yavapai College—it’s an ideal environment for the kind of teaching and music-making I value most,” Tenney said. “One of the most rewarding aspects is working with a genuinely diverse student body, particularly seeing adult learners and traditional-age students making music together. That intergenerational collaboration creates a depth of musical and personal growth that is really special and increasingly rare.”
Prior to his appointment at Yavapai College, Tenney spent five years as the Director of Bands at Bradshaw Mountain High School in Prescott Valley, receiving multiple Excellent and Superior awards for his ensembles there. He has also served as the Arizona Band and Orchestra Director’s Association (ABODA) Northwest Region Band Chairperson and Site Host, and as Site Host and Guest Conductor for the Northern Arizona Band, Choir, and Orchestra Festival (NABCOF). He was recently honored to be elected as the Vice President of the Yavapai Jazz Institute, a non-profit committed to rural jazz education.
Regarding employment in the field of performing arts, Tenney said that the performing arts degrees at Yavapai College prepare students for a wide range of pathways. They go on to work as performers, educators, composers, therapists, technicians, and arts advocates, among other roles. He said that even for those who pursue careers outside the arts, the discipline, creativity, and collaboration developed through music study are deeply nourishing, and can be a valuable part of a flourishing life at any age or stage of one’s career.
“Music provides an essential outlet for individuals and for society as a whole,” Tenney said.” Beyond skill development, it creates a sense of shared purpose and belonging that I haven’t seen replicated in many other spaces. Music brings people together across backgrounds, experiences, and generations, and that sense of community is at the heart of why the subject matters.”
According to Tenney, one of the greatest challenges he faces in his role at Yavapai College is balancing the wide scope of responsibilities that come with building and sustaining a strong performing arts program. He said that he and his colleagues work hard to provide something for everyone, offering almost the same number of ensembles as a major university. At the same time, that challenge is closely tied to their greatest success: seeing their ensembles and programs grow into vibrant, supportive communities where students feel they belong and are proud of the work they create together.
“Yavapai College is a place where students are genuinely seen and valued, and I feel fortunate to be part of that work,” Tenney said. “The combination of artistic rigor, accessibility, and community focus makes this a truly meaningful place to teach and create.”
Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers over 100 degrees and certificates, four baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about Yavapai College, visit www.yc.edu.
