Charles_edited.jpg

CHARLES OVERTON, HARP

Charles Overton is a Boston-based harpist and performer of classical, jazz and contemporary music. He began his harp studies at the age of ten under the direction of Lynelle Ediger, and attended high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy where he studied with Joan Raeburn Holland. In 2012 Charles moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music, where he continued his studies with BSO principal harpist, Jessica Zhou.

During his time at Berklee, he competed in the 2013 American Harp Society National Competition where he was a finalist, attended summer festivals like the Castleton Festival, and Bowdoin International Music Festival, and appeared as a soloist with local ensembles Symphony Pro Musica and Benjamin Zander’s Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. In addition to his classical music pursuits, while at Berklee Charles also began to explore the world of jazz and other improvised music more seriously. In 2014 he became the first harp student to be admitted to the Berklee Global Jazz Institute - a specialized program at the school in which students are given the opportunity to work intimately with master jazz artists such as Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, and Terri-Lynn Carrington.

Over the course of his musical career, Charles has performed under the batons of Andris Nelsons, Alan Gilbert, Stephane Deneve, the late Lorin Mazel, Stefan Asbury, among others in orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, Pacific Music Festival Orchestra, and the Virginia Opera Orchestra. Additionally, with these ensembles and various others he has had the opportunity to perform around the world in concert halls including Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the KKL Luzern Concert Hall.

Currently, Charles resides in Boston where he maintains an active performance schedule. Engagements during his 2017-2018 season include include regular performances with the Boston Symphony and Boston Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as performances with New England based ensembles Collage New Music, the Cantata Singers, and the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra. With his jazz quartet he is slated to appear at festivals in Lyon, France and Washington D.C., as well as local concerts at Scullers Jazz Club, the Lilypad Inman, and a monthly series at the Outpost 186 in Cambridge promoting his recent commercial album release entitled “Convergence”.