Contributor dossier2015—2017Talent Buyer

ChrisWise

Talent Buyer

Music Programming — Day for Night

Free Press Houston
2015—2017

Houston talent buyer, and a talent buyer for Day for Night alongside Omar Afra and Dante DiPasquale, working on the festival's music programme across its three editions in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Free Press Houston's own 2016 lineup announcement states that the music lineup was curated by founder Omar Afra and music veteran Chris Wise; the held 2017 schedule grid was circulated from his desk the day before the festival opened. He booked in Houston clubs in the same years, named in the incoming Fitzgerald's operating group in 2015 and reported in 2017 as a talent buyer with Margin Walker Presents. He is now with Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. in Chicago; a 2025 talent-buyer directory lists him there as Director, Booking.

Verified identity

LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherhwise/

His own profile carries the Houston booking career reported by the Houston Chronicle, Houston Press and CultureMap alongside the Day for Night curation credit. Checked 2026-09-01.

Search the archive

Music affiliations

Buxton — Bass guitar · Source: Nothing Here Seems Strange (2012), official album description; A Family Light (2023), official album credits

Documented historical affiliation; no dates or current lineup are stated.

Day for Night — music programme, 2015—2017

Documented music lineups for the three editions, drawn from the held festival documents and the surviving lineup records. Announced bills, not an attendance-verified record of performance.

2015

December 19—20, 2015

Silver Street Studios, Sawyer Yards, Houston

44 acts documented

New Order
Philip Glass
Janelle Monáe
Madeon
Psychic TV
CocoRosie
Battles
Shamir
Cazwell
Amanda Lepore
Julian Bayle
Indian Jewelry^H
U.S. Girls
Jonte Moaning
Prince Rama
Deru
Roman GianArthur
Richard Ramirez
Renee Christine
Future Blondes
BOAN^H
Millennial Grave
Kendrick Lamar
Dillon Francis
Flying Lotus
Death Grips
Nicolas Jaar
Elliphant
Dan Deacon
Com Truise
Holly Herndon
Matt Thibideau
Wrestlers^H
Children of Pop^H
B L A C K I E^H
Hearts of Animals^H
Josiah Gabriel^H
The Vanity^H
Light Wheel
Jerk
Prismo
DJ Fredster^H
FLCON FCKER^H
Bart Black

The held hype deck for the first edition names Kendrick Lamar, New Order, the Philip Glass Ensemble, Janelle Monáe and Dillon Francis and counts 43 bands across three stages; it carries no full bill. The roster below is the announced lineup as recorded by JamBase, which sets out the two festival days and two acts whose day was still pending. It is a documented lineup, not a verified record of performance.

2016

December 17—18, 2016

Barbara Jordan Post Office, 401 Franklin Street, Houston

48 acts documented

Aphex Twin
ODESZA
Travis Scott
Kaskade
Björk
Run The Jewels
Nick Murphy
BANKS
Butthole Surfers
Blood Orange
Little Dragon
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Squarepusher
Blonde Redhead
Thundercat
Kamasi Washington
RZA
Stone Mecca
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
John Carpenter
Washed Out
Ariel Pink
Lightning Bolt
Arca
DJ Windows 98
Oneohtrix Point Never
Liars
Lower Dens
S U R V I V E
Matmos
Clams Casino
Mykki Blanco
Chelsea Wolfe
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
Welcome to Houston
SG Lewis
SOPHIE
Tobacco
Nothing
Soulection
Mary Lattimore
Fat Tony^H
Wild Moccasins^H
Jerk
Kult Dizney^H
Division
Night Drive^H
From Beyond^H

Free Press Houston's own announcement, held in this archive, names Aphex Twin, ODESZA, Kaskade, Travis Scott, Butthole Surfers, John Carpenter, Marcel Khalife, Kamasi Washington, S U R V I V E and the Welcome To Houston bill, and states that the music lineup was curated by Omar Afra and Chris Wise. The held 2016 lineup poster carries the same headline order. The full roster below is the announced lineup as recorded by JamBase; it is a documented lineup, not a verified record of performance.

2017

December 15—17, 2017

Barbara Jordan Post Office, 401 Franklin Street, Houston

56 acts documented

Kaytranada
Earl Sweatshirt
Solange
Jenny Hval
Boots
Saul Williams
Nine Inch Nails
Tyler, the Creator
James Blake
Pretty Lights
Jamie xx
Pussy Riot
Laurie Anderson
Cashmere Cat
Cardi B
Perfume Genius
GAS
Lil B
of Montreal
Venetian Snares
Daniel Lanois
Princess Nokia
Forest Swords
Roni Size
G Jones
Andy Stott
Jlin
Bjarki
Demdike Stare
Blackie
Tina (Hoodcelebrityy)
Faten Kanaan
Thom Yorke
Justice
St. Vincent
Phantogram
The Jesus Lizard
Nina Kraviz
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Rezz
En Vogue
Kimbra
Mount Kimbie
Corbin
Shlohmo
The Album Leaf
DJ Tennis
Tim Hecker
Babyfather
Shabazz Palaces
Jessy Lanza
Priests
Saro
Rabit^H
House Of Kenzo
Marcus Marr

Removed from the bill: Sky Ferreira. Named in the held Relix advertisement and in the surviving lineup records, but absent from the December 14 schedule grid. The final revision of the 2017 lineup poster was supplied on November 29, 2017 after she was removed from the bill.

Two held documents carry the 2017 music programme: the festival's own Relix full-page advertisement, which prints the SOUND lineup, and the internal schedule grid circulated on December 14, 2017, headed FINAL PENDING. The grid is the latest recovered iteration and not a settled programme, so the roster below is set out as the documented lineup across the three days, taken from the held documents and the surviving JamBase lineup record.

Day for Night collection Omar Afra

Recovered work is indexed here as the printed run is digitised.

Cite this record

Free Press Houston Archive “Chris Wise — contributor record.” n.d.. Contributor record, Free Press Houston 2015—2017. Free Press Houston Archive. https://freepresshoustonarchive.com/contributors/chris-wise. Accessed [date].

Published: Undated in the record
Accessed: —

Machine record: JSON

Archive finding aids

Day for Night music programme, 2015—2017The three documented lineups, the held schedule and advertising, and the staff and outside sources that place him on the programme.

External references

LinkedIn — Chris Wise — profile

His own profile identifies Chris Wise, Chicago, Illinois, currently with Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. Matched to the Houston talent buyer of the Day for Night years by the booking career the profile carries.

Free Press Houston — Day for Night 2016 Lineup: Aphex Twin, ODESZA, Björk Digital + more

States that the 2016 music lineup was curated by founder Omar Afra and music veteran Chris Wise.

We Own the Nite — Day for Night releases visual arts + sound lineup

Repeats the 2016 curation credit to Omar Afra and Chris Wise.

Houston Chronicle — Fitzgerald's founder talks controversy, fears for the future

Reports him as a talent buyer with Margin Walker Presents who cancelled four Fitzgerald's shows during the club controversy.

Houston Press — Yes, Fitzgerald's Is Closing — Just Not for Very Long

Identifies him as a local talent buyer in the incoming Fitzgerald's operating group.

CultureMap Houston — The Great Texas BBQ Festival

Describes Omar Afra and partner Chris Wise launching the Great Texas BBQ Festival together and their shared artist-programming choices.

ABC13 — Launching the Great Texas BBQ Festival

Covers the same launch and calls Chris Wise Afra's partner on the festival.

U.S. Talent Buyers: Venues & Entertainment Professionals — 2025 talent-buyer directory listing

Lists Chris Wise as Director, Booking at MSG Entertainment, with Radio City Music Hall, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre and Madison Square Garden among its venues. Industry directory, used as a citation only.