December 05, 2025
Meghan O’Toole
Chris White explores the music of ‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ on WGN
WGN News invited Teaching Associate in Music Chris White to explain the history of the soundtrack behind A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving ahead of his trio’s November performances of the iconic jazz score.
The segment, which aired November 25, highlighted White’s jazz ensemble, Chris White Trio, who performed the soundtrack at Winter's Jazz Club in Chicago on November 26, the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday. In the trio, White plays piano.
A celebrated pianist, White divides his busy schedule between instruction, performance, and composition. Currently, he is an instructor of jazz piano and theory at Lake Forest College as well as North Park University and North Central College. He has performed at various notable Chicago venues such as The Green Mill, The Jazz Showcase, Andy’s, The House of Blues, Navy Pier, The Peninsula Hotel, and the Coq D’or at the Drake Hotel.
WGN News
White shared that A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving were his first introductions to jazz.
About Chris White
Pianist Chris White hails from Toronto, Canada. After obtaining a BA in English from the University of Toronto, White decided to focus his studies entirely on music. In 1997 he attended Indiana University’s prestigious Jacobs School of Music and pursued his master’s degree in jazz studies, graduating with a Phi Kappa Lambda award (National Music Honors Society), and was elected to the Who’s Who of American College Students in 1999. Gaining valuable experience in Indianapolis, he performed with The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, David Baker, Jamey Aebersold, and Oliver Nelson Jr. He has studied piano with Luke Gillespie, Lynne Arriale, Joanne Brackeen, Barry Harris, and Andy LaVerne. In August 2000, White was invited to perform in the Steans Institute for Young Artists at Ravinia hosted by James Moody, Rufus Reid, and David Baker. In 2010 he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in jazz performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His two CDs—“Young at Heart” and “Tributaries”—are available through his website.
