:: 2012 :: Etienne Charles comes from a family of extremely talented musicians. Surrounded by music, he began playing as a child, receiving his first trumpet when he was 10. Four short years later, Charles added percussion instruments into his growing musical collection as he studied at the Brass Institute, where he was the youngest member of the school’s professional band. His obvious gift for music took him to the Berklee College of Music summer performance program at the young age of 16, where he decided that music was going to be not only his career, but his life.

Upon receiving a scholarship, Charles enrolled in Florida State University to pursue his dream of studying music. It was there that he was exposed to jazz like never before and truly fell in love with the sultry, smooth, exhilarating genre. He toured nationally and internationally, placing 2nd at the Trumpet Guild Jazz Competition in Bangkok, Thailand, and performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Hague, Netherlands. Charles took 1st place in the National Trumpet Competition in Virginia. It was these successes and his passion for the music that took him on a full scholarship to Juilliard School in New York City for his masters.

There, he would tour the world with the Julliard Jazz Orchestra. He would also release his first CD, Culture Shock, and record on the album Elevation, which received 2 Grammy nominations. He’s had the opportunity to perform with other Grammy Award winners, such as Wynton Marsalis, Johnny Mandel, Roberta Flack, and Maria Schneider. This legendary performer is one that you surely won’t want to miss.

Performer website