Meet the Team 

Founder, Chris Theberge - Grammy-Nominated Musician/Entrepreneur

"... After years recording and perforforming in spaces around the world,  I envisioned and aimed to create a modern space with just the right vibe for making music and audio production.   I  have been fortunate to surround myself by an amazing team of shining stars, and together, we are on a mission to make great music and be of service to other artists." 

Musician-entrepreneur Chris Theberge is a GRAMMY-nominated recording artist with over 20 years of music industry experience, a background in marketing, and a love of Afro Cuban & Yoruba culture.

Raised internationally as the son of Argentine and U.S. diplomat parents, Chris lived in Managua, Nicaragua and played drums in Santiago, Chile through his teenage years.   Returning stateside,  he moved to Washington D.C and worked in the inmate music program at Patuxent Prison and Lorton Correctional Institution, performing on drums in local Jazz groups and in D.C’s homegrown Go-Go music scene. Graduating from Boston University with a business degree, Chris moved to New York City, where he helped run the innovative TouchTunes interactive music marketing firm, establishing a joint-venture in Japan and providing marketing programs and market research to label clients including Sony, Warner, Universal, Polygram, Tommy Boy and Interscope.   In NYC,  Chris met Puerto Rican Latin jazz Legend Jerry Gonzalez and began his studies of Afro-Latin drumming,  gigging nights on conga drums and DJ ing his show on WNYE FM 91.5 called "An Hour of Drums".  He also began his travels to Cuba & Southwestern Nigeria where he immersed himself in traditional drumming and culture. 

In the early 90's Chris helped co-founded the NY-based jazz/funk group Groove Collective.  As early pioneers of the emergent jam band and acid jazz scene, Groove Collective released albums on Warner, Giant Step, Universal, Shanachie, and Impulse!/Savoy.  With Groove Collective,  Chris built a decade long an international recording and performance career, performing at Montreaux in Switzerland, North Sea, Red Rocks, WOMAD New Zealand, Japan’s Mount Fuji festival and Blue Note clubs in New York, Milan, Tokyo, Osaka & Nagoya.

In 2007 Groove Collective was nominated for a GRAMMY! and Chris turned his attention to production and began recording with Nigerian, Cuban and Puerto Rican master drummers, teaming up with his friend and mentor, percussion superstar Giovanni Hidalgo.  It was 2010 when Chris founded Music Works NYC and began the process of finding and building a studio facility to collaborate with other artists and provide recording and production services.  In 2014 with only two years of operation, Chris was surprised and elated when his childhood drumming hero, pop icon Phil Collins'  team came from the U.K and announced that Phil Collins would be renting out his A room for 2 years.   Now the studio that Music Works Studios has  thriving with talent, both known and developing, and Chris, along with his business/creative partner Nina Creese are setting their sights on music production, distribution, artist development, and helping others to navigate the music industry.  

Chris has published articles on world percussion for Global Music, Percussion Source, NY International and UK’s Straight No Chaser magazine. Over the years Chris has taught percussion and given workshops in the U.S, Japan and New Zealand and mentored young students in the New York Road Recovery music program.  Chris served on the The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative and is a member of NARIP (National Association of Record Industry Professionals) and a voting member of the Recording Academy (The National Academy of Recording Arts And Sciences) (NARAS), which presents the Grammy Awards.

A Brooklyn native with Haitian roots, Nina Creese  is a Music Works business partner, Artist-in-Residence, and Chief Engineer of our NYC studios.   Nina gained her experience working in studios in Brooklyn before making the jump uptown to Music Works, bringing her own clientele with her.   An outstanding songwriter and artist in her own right,  Nina brings the sum of experiences from  both sides of the microphone to her work.   Nina and Music Works founder  Chris Theberge have recently  formed Music Works productions to develop artists and her own musical career and she thrives in her roles as engineer,  emerging artist, and music business executive.    Nina possesses vast musical and technical skills,   dedication and experience,  and a wonderful spirit, and is a leader and an asset to our clients as well as the entire team.  She also takes great joy in helping young artists find and develop their sound.    

Producer/Artist-in-Residence, "Synematik" is a production powerhouse with deep roots and experience in the Music industry and NYC's production community.  With placements for Interscope Records and Boys II Men, he is signed to  a global co-publishing deal with Stellar Songs/EMI. The Kenyan/Nigerian-born producer works with major & independent labels as well as award-winning producers/entities including Roc Nation, Stargate, Bad Boy, Seven Aurelius, Dennis Ferrer, and more.  He runs his own production company, Synematik Music World LLC, and while he has extensive relationships with many studios in town, we are honored that he calls Music Works his home.