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Charles Stier

Study with Charles Stier

Born in Charleston, SC, Charles Stier’s early fascination with music inspired him to play many instruments—piano, harmonica, ukulele, guitar and the clarinet. Ultimately, his high school band director, Gordon Bobbett, encouraged Charles to pursue a career as a clarinet soloist.

Charles earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Maryland, where he studied clarinet performance with Norman Heim. Post-doctoral studies lead him to Chicago to study with Robert Marcellus (The Cleveland Orchestra) and Amsterdam to study with George Pieterson (Royal Amsterdam Concertgebouworkest).

Teaching at the beginner through graduate school levels, Dr. Stier was a founding faculty member of the Washington Conservatory of Music and was on the faculties of the Peabody Preparatory of Baltimore and the Catholic University of America.

After an international career as a clarinet soloist and recording artist, Dr. Stier is devoted to teaching piano, composition and guitar at Cherry Valley Music, an independent music studio in Olney, MD.

Life experiences, beloved master composers, fellow artists and piano students inspire Charles to compose music which motivates creativity, expression and artistic excellence.

Piano compositions include a piano quintet, piano sonatas, preludes, waltzes and character pieces. For students of all ages: An Album for the Young, Halloween Pieces, Twenty four Haiku, Animals of the Carnival and the Kitchen Suite!

He has also written many song cycles for voice and piano, as well as a comic opera entitled The Pirate.


Photo by Seth Zarny