Chris Beyt

Dr. Chris Beyt is an Associate Professor of Jazz Guitar and Recording Arts at Western Carolina University's David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts, School of Music. He holds a DMA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2011), an MA from the University of North Texas (2008), and a BA from Loyola University New Orleans (2003).

His research focuses on modern jazz guitar techniques, electronic music composition, and audio engineering. Notable work includes a 2017 study analyzing Jim Hall's improvisational structures presented at the Jazz Education Network Conference.

Beyond academia, Beyt is a multi-instrumentalist performing globally with artists like Dave Liebman and Randy Brecker. He has released albums such as *New Roots* (2022) and *A Trio for Three* (2020), and operates as a recording engineer specializing in jazz and electronic music production. His gear includes a custom Jarrett semi-hollowbody guitar and Fractal Axe-FX III processing system.