– Charlie's Blog –

First page of the score for "Good Time Charlie's Graduation March"

New Orchestral Work: Graduation March

by | Jul 1, 2026 | ,

I don’t watch much TV, but I’ll admit I got addicted to The Pitt. Watching people be really good at their jobs — even fictionally — is a real pleasure for me, and because of the popularity of the series, I’ve learned there’s a name for that pleasure: “competence porn.”

I experienced my own version recently, after I wrote a concert march for full orchestra. While I was putting the final touches on the piece — the phrasing marks, the dynamic markings, etc. — I wanted to make sure I had gotten the standard tropes of a march just right.

So I called my good friend and Barnstorm bandmate, Mark Carson, a master percussionist. Mark played in the US Air Force band. He has played with every orchestra in the DC area and in every pit in every local theater. He also makes drums — both the wood parts and the metal parts.

Mark was kind enough to come over and help me edit the entire percussion section of the piece, which is called Good-Time Charlie’s Graduation March. It was a revelation to watch him work. In an increasingly automated world, I’m grateful for the things that can only be done by expert humans, by ear and by hand.

A yellow signpost on a sky-blue background, with arrows pointing one way for "right" and the other way for "wrong"

New Film Score: ‘Running With Scissors’

by | Jun 1, 2026 | ,

I just finished scoring a documentary for the filmmaker Cara Biasucci of the University of Texas on the ethical dangers of artificial intelligence. As I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, the dangers are plenty. Setting this story to music was a sobering experience. It’s work I enjoy, but I had to wonder: How long before this kind of job is taken over by A.I.?

Barnstorm roots band logo, shadowy biplane on a pumpkin-colored background

Barnstorm Gigs in Baltimore, Staunton

by | May 1, 2026 | ,

My roots and folk music band, Barnstorm, is hitting the road. I’m finding that the band feels most at home in small listening venues, where we can really connect with an audience — and, hopefully, get them to sing along with us. We’ve got two such gigs coming up. If you’re near one of them, I hope you’ll consider joining us.

We will be playing in Northeast Baltimore on May 16th at The Four-Hour Day lutherie, an instrument-making shop and music studio located at 4305 Harford Rd., in the Arcadia neighborhood. The gig starts at 7:30pm, and tickets cost $20. For information, email [email protected].

Then on May 24th, we’ll be in Staunton, Virginia, at Queen City Music Studios at 16 W. Beverly Street (second floor). It’s a 7pm show, and tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. For information or tickets, visit queencitymusicstudios.com.

Barnstorm event poster with biplane

Barnstorm Welcomes Dr. Francis Collins

by | Feb 1, 2026 | , , ,

There are 27 different institutes at the National Institutes of Health, and workers at every one of them have been impacted by the chaos of the current administration. Since the beginning of last year, roughly 10% of NIH’s workforce has been terminated without notice, encouraged to retire, or fired over email. Some former NIH workers created a group called 27 UNIHTED to support one another and advocate for a better future for biomedical research.

My folk band, Barnstorm, is proud to be playing a benefit show on February 15 to support 27 UNIHTED’s programs and advocacy. My bandmates are terrific: Greg Watkins on bass, Mark Carson on drums, and Michael Robert Taylor on fiddle and mandolin. And I’m delighted to reveal that our opening act is none other than the folk singer Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., former director of the NIH and, before that, of the Human Genome Project. Since his retirement from NIH last March, Collins has devoted himself to his music. The week after our show, he’ll be performing at the Lincoln Center in New York with soprano Renée Fleming!

The benefit show will take place at The Alley at Bethesda Boards, 7900 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland, on Sunday, February 15. It’s a BYOB situation and also BYOF (bring your own food). Tickets will be $40, with proceeds going to 27 UNIHTED, but laid-off federal workers are invited to come for free. It’s an early show: Doors open at 5pm and the music starts at 6pm. Hope to see you there!

Fluffy white clouds with blue sky peeking through behind

New Choral Work Premieres in Florida

by | Jan 15, 2026 | , , ,

I was recently commissioned to write a setting of Psalm 19 for the choir of Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church on Sanibel Island in Florida. Of course, being the profound agnostic that I am, I had to look up the psalm. It’s the one that starts “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

In a couple of weeks, I’ll be traveling to Florida for the piece’s premiere. And I’m taking my guitar, because while I’m down there, I’ll play a sing-along concert from the Barnstorm songbook, accompanied by local accordionist Tom Cinarusci percussionist Doreen Bolhuis.

If you’re in the area, please come to the church (2304 Periwinkle Way) to hear the psalm piece during the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, January 31. Or come for a Barnstorm-lite show at 1:30pm the same place, same day. There’s no charge for either event.

Barnstorm’s First Gig

Barnstorm’s First Gig

by | Oct 14, 2025 | , ,

I used to be a musician who played out a lot, but for the past five years, I’ve been concentrating on writing plays and musicals. Lately, though, I have felt an itch to perform again. But in what way? Most people who have followed my performing career would think of me as a jazz pianist, but my artistic roots are actually in Appalachian folk music, and that’s what my mind kept coming back to. The five-string banjo was the first instrument I played for audiences.

I finally got up the nerve to invite a few very good musicians to get together and play some folk songs — pieces that are structurally simple, but emotionally complex. I’m flattered that guys as talented as bassist Greg Watkins, percussionist Mark Carson, and fiddler Michael Robert Taylor have agreed to form a band with me and join me on this sentimental journey. We’re called Barnstorm, and our first gig is Monday, November 3rd at 7 pm at The Alley at Bethesda Boards, a new bring-your-own-food-and-drink venue located inside a skateboard shop at 7900 Woodmont Ave. in Bethesda.

Our good friend Dave Ries will be opening the show. Admission is $20 for those whose incomes have not been affected by the recent federal craziness and $0 for those whose incomes have been affected. (No proof of income is required, just let us know at the door.)

Promo for The Fireman's Carnival

National String Symphonia Plays The Fireman’s Carnival

by | Oct 1, 2025 | , ,

I’m pleased to let you know that the National String Symphonia, helmed by music director David Fanning, will be performing my piece The Fireman’s Carnival next month. This five-movement work for strings and clarinet is based on a treasured childhood memory of mine: the one weekend every summer when the volunteer fire department in my tiny Pennsylvania town would host a traveling carnival as a fundraiser.

The carnival would arrive and get set up in one night. It seemed to appear magically, like a mushroom after rain. The rides were small and probably dangerous. They were run by strange men in greasy clothing whose attention to safety was questionable. The carnival only ran at night. My four sisters and I were able to ride our bicycles to it. And riding home at the impossibly late hour of 10 pm was something of a dream.

The program will be performed at several Maryland venues, in Wheaton on November 2; in Frederick on November 8; and in Ellicott City on November 9. For more information or for tickets, visit the orchestra’s webpage, nssorchestra.org.

Three musicians in a home music studio that features a grand piano and built-in bookcases in the background.

Poetry in Music

by | Jun 14, 2025 | , ,

My good friend Greg Watkins, an extraordinary bassist, recently hosted a virtual children’s concert in my home studio. Greg works as the principal bassist for the American Pops Orchestra, and he also coordinates some of their events. In this case, Greg and the APO had solicited poems from students all over the country and selected some of the best to be read by the gifted singer and actor Alan Naylor, while Greg and I improvised a musical accompaniment on bass and piano. Students and their teachers logged on to stream the performance. It was such a joy to simply “create” on the spot with two such talented artists, and to spotlight the work of the next generation of creators.

Artwork by Charlie Barnett, featuring the neck of an old banjo against a painted background featuring a tree that has dropped its leaves. The predominant colors are blue and brown.

A Personal Folk Revival

by | May 14, 2025 | , ,

Last month, I was the bandleader, pianist, and singer in a show in Rochester, New York. It was a birthday concert, and the birthday “boy” was turning 90. The set list consisted of his favorite songs from folk and traditional artists, including Harry Belafonte, Leadbelly, and Odetta. For me, it was a return to my musical roots; I may have spent decades as a jazz performer, but old-time Appalachian music is in my heart, and five-string banjo is the first instrument I could play well. This concert gave me a surprising idea of what my future in performing might hold. As I say to my banjo when I put it back in it back in its case: “Stay tuned.”

Gold and black poster promoting Classics 101 at the Writers Center in Bethesda MD

Classics 101 Premiere

by | Aug 25, 2024 | , ,

Classics 101, my drama set on a college campus, just closed its first run. As you may recall from previous newsletters, I produced and directed the play myself, with generous support from the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County and a lot of help from assistant director Andrew Mitakides, who also played the heavy in the show. This was my first time as a director, and it was nothing like what I expected. One thing I learned is that I don’t have to think of everything myself. I was blessed with a 13-member cast full of smart and capable actors who had terrific ideas and often saw things in this story that I never saw. It was truly a collaborative process, and I was pleased to share the results with an audience.

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