Chris Gardner, son of the composer John Gardner, began his musical training at the Royal College of Music Junior Department where he studied timpani, percussion, clarinet and piano, and then at Sussex University where he took a degree in music. Most of his working life was spent at the Performing Right Society, where he had a number of jobs including that of IT Director, and he finished his working days as Managing Director of ICE Services AB, a Swedish Company owned by PRS and its Swedish counterpart, STIM.

Musical activity took an increasingly back seat as his professional career developed, but as retirement came in sight, from about 2007, he began easing himself back into musical disciplines.
 
Not only is Chris joint conductor of the Alton Concert Orchestra, he often plays piano for other local choirs and performing groups such as AODS, as well as conducting Cantique chamber choir since 2010.  He is a versatile musician, working as a composer, timpanist, accompanist, conductor and occasional clarinettist.

His Te Deum was performed by the Holybourne Singers in October 2015 and he regularly written music for Alton's Last Night of the Proms in the Alton Public Gardens. These works have included Fiesta Telefonica for mobile phone (performed by the Alton town mayor) and orchestra, A Hampshire Suite for country dance band and orchestra, and his latest, Dances of the British Isles, were performed at the 2015 concert. 

2018 saw the first performance of Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning, at the annual Wonder of Christmas Concert  in Alton Maltings, written in memory of Mac Newton and dedicated to everyone who has been involved in Alton’s Wonder of Christmas concerts.