Charles has been the Principal Tuba with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic since 2007. He is the tubist and founding member of the Apollo Chamber Brass, a professional brass quintet in the Denver area and the tubist with the Best Brass ensemble in Durango, CO. He is the Adjunct Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Colorado State University in Pueblo, Colorado and performs in Lycos, the faculty brass quintet. In addition to his performing and teaching career, Charles is President of the Pikes Peak Musicians Association, American Federation of Musicians, Local 154. Previously, he was Principal Tuba with the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra. 

Charles grew up in the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Texas. He had an active high school career, where he was principal tubist with the 1990 Texas All-State Philharmonic Orchestra, and 1st chair in the Texas All-State Symphonic Band in 1991. He went to the UIL State Solo and Ensemble competitions, where was named Outstanding Soloist of the Day, the best out of 50 tuba players from across the state. 

In 1991, Charles was the principal tubist with the Young Artist’s Orchestra at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, MA. This Institute takes one tuba player in the nation. While at Tanglewood, Charles performed with Yo-Yo Ma, studied with John Manning of the Atlantic Brass Quintet, and spent as much time as he could with the Empire Brass Seminar musicians. 

He received his Bachelor of Music in Tuba Performance from the University of North Texas in 2000, studying with Don Little, principal tuba (retired) with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Charles was principal tuba with the Disney Grammy Collegiate Orchestra for the 1998 summer season at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. 

From 1998 to 2001, Charles free-lanced in the Orlando area, playing with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Walt Disney World Orchestra and the Candlelight Festival Orchestra at Epcot in the Walt Disney World Resort. He was also a regular substitute for the World Class Brass, the brass quintet, and Oktoberfest Musikanten, the polka band, both at Epcot.

In 2002, Charles was named 1st associate tuba with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and was the tubist with the Chicago Civic Brass Quintet. In 2004, Charles received his Master of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, studying with Alan Baer, now principal tuba with the New York Philharmonic. 

In the area of instruction, Charles has been on the faculty of some of the top schools in Colorado, including Arapahoe High School, Loveland High School, Legend High School, Mountain Range High School, & Legacy High School.  He keeps an active teaching studio in the Colorado Springs area. 

Charles has also performed with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Rio Grande Valley Symphony Orchestra, Longmont Symphony Orchestra, Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Charles can be heard on the commercially available recordings of the North Texas Wind Symphony, including: Luminaries, Wind Dances, Dream Catchers, Deja View and Dialogues & Entertainments, which was nominated for a Grammy. He can also be heard on the educational resource, Teaching Music through Performance in Band, Volume I.

Charles lives in Pueblo, Colorado. He enjoys Mexican food, and spending time with his son, Aaron. He is now married to a beautiful pianist named Christine, and they have a new baby girl, named Charlotte Jean Ortega.