By Seojin Ha

For more than two decades, Christopher Rust has been the heart of Sunset High School’s distinguished choir program, shaping generations of singers with passion, creativity, and his love for music. Growing up in a family of five siblings, all of whom were required to take piano lessons, Christopher was the one who truly embraced music. Reading music became a natural passion. Independent compositions flourished out of his head and onto the music sheet. Previously, music was just a side activity, but that changed in the first year of high school when he tried his hand at composing a song for church. A recently widowed person was moved to tears by Christopher’s melody. “That hooked me at fourteen,” he recalls, realizing the impact music can have on people.

Determined to pursue his passion, he committed to learning music. He enrolled in his high school’s music classes and graduated from university with a degree in music composition. Job opportunities as a music composer were infrequent, but he quickly found his lifelong passion in teaching. “I knew right away I loved it,” Christopher says. “I remember thinking I wasn’t trained for this.” After spending a few years teaching both choir and band, taking voice lessons, and learning from other teachers as mentors, he discovered his vocation.

Hearing the Sunset choir, he recognized the same dedication and flair he had for music. When a friend called about a position opening up, he knew Sunset, with their broad curriculum for students interested in the arts, was perfect for him. Since then, the music program has gone on to achieve numerous accomplishments under his leadership. From creating Sunset’s famous pop choir group, “Free to Breathe,” bringing the choir to sing at the state capitol, and leading the group to consistently place as a top choir program in the state, Rust has shaped the Sunset choir program into something unique and spectacular.

For him, choir competitions are more than winning trophies. It is about growing, building up students’ confidence, and making deep connections. “Be patient with yourself, embrace the vulnerability of sharing your voice, and reach out to learn others’ stories. Finding a place to belong and contribute is always possible.” Christopher’s story is a tribute to how music has the gift to teach, inspire, and connect – an everlasting reminder that a single song can change someone’s life.

Visit Sunset’s Choir page for more information and choir concert schedule (coming soon).