Chris Peter Xeros was born in Dallas on September 23, 1927. He studied violin with Joseph Kirshbaum at what is now the University of North Texas, earning his bachelor's and master's degrees there. Xeros also studied at the Juilliard School of Music, served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and worked for a time in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 1961, he became the founding conductor of the Richardson Symphony orchestra, where he served until 1992, and he taught music for 36 years in the Dallas Independent School District, with many years at W.T. White High School. He then assisted in the founding of the Allen Philharmonic, where he served as conductor until he retired in 2001. Xeros died on October 6, 2019.