Photo by Jonas Tarm
Berklee College of Music-trained harpist Charles Overton’s interest in and devotion to the harp originated in Richmond. The 23-year-old’s talent shines out of town now, with the Boston Symphony and through his jazz quartet, the Charles Overton Group, which released the CD “Convergence” in 2017 on Jazz Urbane Recordings. On June 24, Overton returns home with his jazz ensemble at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen.
Richmond magazine: Tell us about your training in Richmond.
Charles Overton: Really, everything began with Lynelle Ediger [his Richmond Montessori School music teacher], who really started my training at 10 years old. One day after school, she came up to me and said, “Tell your parents you want to study harp.” It was sort of strange, but I did, and I just took to it, I loved it. [Ediger] had an ensemble called the American Youth Harp Ensemble, which I became a part of. With them I had the opportunity to play Carnegie Hall, we went to Italy, London, France, many places. ... I remember thinking, This is pretty cool, that this [ensemble] she built has the ability to take people places. So that encouraged me to continue with it.
RM: How did you get to Berklee?
Overton: I started thinking seriously about making music the main thing I wanted to do with my life. I decided to go to Berklee, and it was there that I developed a taste for world music and really started experimenting with jazz. I've been based in Boston since then.
RM: Do you come home often?
Overton: I get home about four or five times a year. I'm kind of a freelance musician, and then I have other projects, so my schedule is always hectic. I would definitely say the city seems cooler now than it did back then, for sure. There is a vibe in Richmond that I don't remember from before, with the art scene, especially.
RM: What popular music do you like, who do you listen to?
Overton: Oh, I love Kendrick Lamar, [electronic music artist] James Blake, Radiohead ... I listen to a bunch of different stuff.
Charles Overton and his group perform "An Afternoon of Jazz" on June 24 at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen at 4 p.m. $65 to $100. Proceeds benefit the Della Bannister Book Scholarship Fund. 804-261-2787 or artsglenallen.com.
