About

Charlie Gorham is a percussion performer and educator from Northern Virginia, currently pursuing an M.M. in Music Education from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Instrumental Music Education from George Mason University (Fairfax, VA) and is a percussion instructor with James Madison High School (Vienna, VA), South County High School (Lorton, VA), Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, and United Percussion. He has been a performing member with the Reading Buccaneers (2017-2019), Carolina Crown (2020, 2022), and the George Mason University Indoor Drumline (2020-2023). In all three ensembles, Charlie was a battery section leader.

A graduate of South County High School (Lorton, VA), Charlie has played an active role in the growth and success of the school's marching percussion program throughout the last decade. As a student, Charlie was a two-time WGI Scholastic Open Class Finalist and 2019 Scholastic World-Class Finalist. Upon graduating, Charlie immediately joined the instructional staff of the marching band and indoor drumline at South County, where he continues his work today.  

Charlie began his concert percussion studies at George Mason University in 2019 with mentorship and private instruction under John Kilkenny, Jon Bisesi, Jonathan Rance, John Spiritas, and Matt Penland. In 2022, Charlie joined the jazz drum set studio at Mason and studied under Dr. Kevin McDonald. Currently, in his first year of graduate studies at UMass, Charlie studies jazz drum set under Prof. Thomas Giampietro. He is a graduate teaching assistant with the UMass Minuteman Marching Band with mentorship from Ian Hale. 

Charlie currently manages a growing private studio of high school percussion students. He offers instruction in classical percussion, guiding students through technique development, performance practice, and audition prep. Charlie's students are selected to perform at Virginia's Governor’s School for the Performing Arts, the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar, and the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute. 

Charlie serves as a judge and clinician for VBODA Districts 10, 11, and 12.