Bio

Charlie Richardson is a composer, performer, conductor, and contemporary art enthusiast who believes in the transformative power of live music. His work reflects his love for experimentation and exploration. He approaches each project as a blank canvas and applies an “additive” compositional approach, allowing musical styles and forms to develop organically. Through this open process, he engages with preexisting expectations, genres, and constructs, while also pushing beyond their boundaries.

Charlie’s musical background includes experience in classical piano, jazz improvisation, experimental rock, and electronic production. After receiving a MIDI keyboard for his 15th birthday, he began creating his first compositions: free-form electronic pieces, composed and sequenced within a digital audio workstation. Around the same time, Charlie and his close collaborator and childhood friend, Teddy Mailer, began writing and recording multi-genre music under the name St. Clair.

Charlie’s current music lies at the intersection between modern classical music, electronic music, and free improvisation. His pieces balance predetermined structures—such as specific notation and electronic sound files—with spontaneous expression. Colorful sound worlds, often created through a blend of live performance and electronic processing/production, run through his music. He often works beyond the limits of modern western tuning, in search of a wider expressive palette. His music also attempts to represent and explore nonmusical issues. Common themes include the concept of “lucidity”, the struggle against constructs, and communal healing through sound.