Equally at home in an orchestra or in a jazz club, it is the goal of Boston-based harpist Charles Overton, regardless of the genre of music, to create a musical environment that is accessible, exciting and can resonate deeply with any audience.

Originally from Richmond, VA, Charles moved to Boston in 2012 to attend the Berklee College of music where he was the first harpist to be accepted to Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute. Also while in school, to continue his classical music studies he attended summer music festivals like the Pacific Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, and the Castleton Festival.  Since graduating in 2016, Charles has quickly been making a name for himself both in Boston and in the greater music world.

As a jazz musician he has played in festivals abroad like the Camac Festival in Lyon, and the Harpes au Max festival in Ancenis, while locally frequenting jazz series like Jazz at Indian Hill, and Mandorla Music’s Dot Jazz Series. As a classical musician, he has appeared frequently with the Boston Symphony and Pops Orchestras since 2017, and has performed Boston-based ensembles the Walden Chamber Players, and Collage New Music, as well as at the Marlboro Music Festival.

Today, Charles enjoys his active performance schedule based in Boston, where he’s excited to continue to make music with his long-time friends and collaborators Plamen Karadonev, Julian Loida, and Peter Barnick, and is in the beginning stages of writing and as arranging new music for his own upcoming project.