Gryphon Gallery: Christine Evans

April 21, 2023

Alumni

Stuart Brambley, Archivist Stuart Brambley, Archivist photo

Christine Evans a.k.a. Christy Ann, Chris, and Kris, was born in 1990 and attended GNS from 1995 through 2004. Her love of music and creative writing led to writing songs from seven years old and was clearly nurtured at home but well-supported at school by the choir program. “She was a creative and dedicated student, balancing her studies, her friends and her budding music career,” says her Grade 8 homeroom teacher, Sarah McKerlich.

As a music artist, Christine emerged at this time from a Vancouver Island scene that also produced Nelly Furtado and Diana Krall and many others since. The photo at the side shows her at her Janis Joplin exhibit during the Grade 8 Gallery of Fame. It was during this year that she wrote and recorded her debut single, Take Me Home, followed in January 2005 with her first album of the same name. Take Me Home won the Vancouver Island Music Award for song of the year and it was included on the Women & Songs 8 collection, which included several famous female artists such as K.D. Lang, Nelly Furtado, Sarah MacLachlan, Jann Arden, Dianna Krall, Sheryl Crow and Madonna—illustrious company indeed.

From these heady days of her early teens, Christine’s career took off with a Canadian tour, a second, self-written, album Push, an edited version of Take Me Home video that was used in a national commercial for Kids Help Phone—for which she became an Artist Ambassador and donated a part of her CD revenue to that organisation—singing the Canadian anthem at the 2007 NBA All-Star game and a starring role in the movie Black & Blue.

During much of this busy time, Christine attended high school at Blair Academy in New Jersey and graduated from Stanford University in 2012, majoring in English and Creative Writing. She became a rising star in contemporary Christian music, scoring a Canadian #1 radio hit with Break Me, and nominations for Female Vocalist of the Year, Pop Song of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year, as well as winner for Best Video at the Gospel Music Awards.

Encouraged by the words of Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame, “Christine is a very gifted singer-songwriter” and her faith, she has produced further albums and is always guided by her passion for music, songwriting and strong beliefs. Doing it her way!