A student at Burnside High School, Tor Chiles has played bassoon and oboe for over five years, as well as cor anglais and contrabassoon.

Tor is involved in many music groups in and out of school, including Burnside High School Orchestra and Christchurch Youth Orchestra as Principal Oboe, and National Youth Orchestra 2024 as Associate Principal Bassoon.

Tor is also involved in a chamber music group at Burnside High School that is currently preparing for the next NZCT Chamber Music New Zealand Competition.

In 2023, Tor was awarded an A.T.C.L (Associate of the Trinity College, London) on Bassoon, and in 2024, was selected as a CSO Irelands Intern, proudly supported by Irelands Real Estate. As part of this programme, Tor will perform on stage with CSO on Wednesday 11 July 2024 at CSO and Rova Present: Matariki with CSO, Christchurch Town Hall, as well as receive lessons with CSO musicians throughout the year.

In 2025, Tor hopes to study Performance Music, majoring in Bassoon, at either New Zealand School of Music or The University of Canterbury. He then hopes to go on to complete a postgraduate qualification in Europe, before joining a professional orchestra, and teaching bassoon and/or oboe.