Charlie Christenson
Charlie Christenson is a rare occurrence in the music world: his sense of humor and humility coincide with a commitment and honesty towards the music he creates. His voice, improvisations, compositions and concepts are decidedly one-of-a-kind. A basic beauty is inherent in every piece of music Christenson performs, with the fusion of beauty and experimentation listed as the main goal of his music endeavors.
Christenson, a native of the Midwest, received his Bachelors of Music in Education from Lawrence University, a private college currently ranked in the Top 50 Colleges in America by Forbes Magazine. While at Lawrence University, Charlie performed with many diverse musical ensembles, including the Concert Choir, Jazz Band, Jazz Small Ensembles, Jazz Singers, as well as his own trio, and was a founding member of the student-run salsa group, Vale Todo. In 2005, while still at LU, Christenson was recognized by DOWNBEAT Magazine as the Outstanding College Jazz Vocalist.
After a stint teaching music in the Chicago Public School system, Charlie moved to the Upper West Side of New York City to continue his education at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. After receiving his Masters of Music in Jazz Performance, Christenson went on to work and teach at MSM in the Young People’s Division. During this time he also had the opportunity to perform with such greats as the New York Voices, Kurt Elling, and Eliane Elias and up-and-comers Fabian Almazan, Linda Oh, Roy Assaf, Jaska Lukkarinen, Ike Sturm, Ingrid Jensen, Alex Lopex, Chris Dempsey and Janelle Reichman in many venues including the Corniela St. Cafe, Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, and the world-famous Birdland.
Charlie has studied voice with Peter Eldridge, Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, Chris Salerno and Patrice Michaels. He has studied piano with Matt Turner, John Harmon and Gary Dial and arranging/composition with Fred Sturm.
Until recently, Charlie was located in Southern California, where he focused on teaching, both privately and for Apple, Inc.
Christenson is currently the Head of the Voice Department at the McNally Smith College of Music, in St. Paul, Minnesota.