Charles Jarvis was born in Grants Pass, the seventh of nine children and attended homeschool, Madrona Elementary, South Middle School and is currently a Sophomore at Grants Pass High School. As a child, he enjoyed singing and performing with his family at local festivals, church functions, weddings and funerals.
A favorite childhood pastime was whistling as he wandered through his beautiful forested yard in the Jerome Prairie area, and sketching animals and insects. Charlie became prolific at whistling and one day while listening to him, his mother got the strong impression to get him a cello. She found a used, rent-to-own cello in a music shop in Ashland. At first he wasn’t that interested, but after a year he learned vibrato, a technique that warms and beautifies the music and from then on he couldn’t put his cello down! He had discovered a glorious way to express the music within him and he was in heaven.
Charlie joined the SMS Orchestra and Honor Orchestra and in 2017, was chosen as the principal cellist of the Oregon All-state MS Orchestra. In the Spring of 2018, as a freshman, he competed in the Academic Masters Competition and won first place in the Music category. The
award money funded his summer music camps the following summer, namely the Delgany String Quartet Academy which he attended for three years, and the competitive BYU Summer Music Institute for talented musicians, where he performed as principal cellist.
Charlie has now studied cello privately at the advanced level for five years and is currently a member of the Grants Pass High School Chamber Orchestra. He runs a private cello studio to pay for his cello and piano lessons and other expenses while maintaining a 4.0 GPA, attending an early morning seminary class, after-school track practice and is a Life Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. To his joy and amazement, he was recently accepted to the 2019 Curtis Institute Young Artist Summer Program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They accept only 100 applicants worldwide, and out-rank Julliard. It is the most selective music conservatory in the country.
Charlie is eagerly seeking ways to fund this remarkable opportunity. Any support to help make this prodigious educational opportunity a dream come true for this talented, young, local musician would be incredibly appreciated.
A recording of Charlie’s recent first place performance of the Lalo Cello Concerto at the 2019 Solo and Ensemble Music Festival at SOU can be viewed in this YouTube video.
Charles will be at our meeting next week - Please bring money. We can help him raise the final $1000 he needs to participate in this great opportunity.
