Chris Allen was born in Gt. Yarmouth in 1954; he began learning the clarinet when he was 13 and went on to study at the Royal College of Music from 1972 – 1975. After a brief freelance career he settled into working as a peripatetic woodwind teacher in Bedfordshire until his retirement in 2008. His compositions — mainly educational pieces — have been printed by various publishers, with many instrumental studies featuring in examination syllabuses. He now lives in South Wales with his wife, Allison, and Welsh Terrier, Ricky.