Drummer Charlie Heim has enjoyed success as a musician, composer, and educator throughout Pennsylvania.  A graduate of Philadelphia’s University of the Arts with a bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Jazz Studies, the State College, PA native has had the pleasure of performing and recording with a multitude of artists across countless genres.   To name a few, Charlie has performed and recorded with the likes of Megalodon, The March Hare, Charles Ramsey, Sixtanato, Mountain Man, At Hand Productions, and has performed with Rick Hirsch, Dan Yoder, and many, many others. 

Charlie began studying music at an early age.  Taking up studies originally on the piano when he was 8 years old, he quickly became enamored with the musical art form.  Shortly thereafter, Charlie was introduced to the saxophone, which became a new fascination.  His study of both alto and tenor saxophones, through the esteemed tutelage of Steve Bowman, led him to a deeper understanding of music in both classical and jazz idioms.  Through the tenor, Charlie was exposed to extensive opportunities in which to experience music: while in high school, he was a part of an award-winning symphonic band, played with various jazz bands, and was a member of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) 2004 All-State Band.  While the saxophone was for a long while his “main instrument”, he would soon find that it was not quite the right voice with which to express his musical creativity.  After receiving his first drum set in 2000, it was no question where Charlie’s true passion lay.  The drums called.

Inspired by the music that he surrounded himself with, it did not take long for Charlie’s rhythmic voice to come to the surface.  His goal has been to liberate the drums from their traditional role as a mere time keeper.  This way of thinking led him to the playing of Elvin Jones, his greatest influence and musical mentor.  Jones' approach to the drum set as a single instrument - not just a collection of "tubs" and "plates," - spurred on Charlie's artistic vision.  John Coltrane and Duke Ellington stood alongside Green Day and Incubus in his collection of recordings; the diversity of his early musical tastes would prove to be largely responsible for the stylistic fusion of the music he currently makes.  Life as a professional musician quickly took off, and has never stopped accelerating.  He began performing around State College and central Pennsylvania with an assortment of jazz and rock bands, became a member of the State College Area High School Jazz Band 1, the school’s pit orchestra, and its symphony orchestra.  He made several appearances with the State College Community Theatre, and was a member of Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra.  In 2003, he had the opportunity to perform at international jazz festivals in Montreaux, Switzerland, and Vienne, France.

In 2004, Charlie began attendance at Philadelphia’s prestigious University of the Arts on a Presidential Scholarship.  Once there, he began to put his hands in every musical opportunity within reach.  He formed The March Hare that very year, and began to take advantage of all that UArts and Philadelphia had to offer.  Months later, he had the opportunity to play in a new production of Andrew Hanna’s  (At Hand Productions) mult-media opus, entitled Prophecies of War.  The collaboration did not end there, however, as Charlie has since recorded a full-length CD and DVD of the production.

Intensive study with drumming greats Joe Nero, Jim Paxson, and Marc Dicciani opened new doors, and imbued Charlie’s playing with heightened musicality and technical ability.  He was a member of a multitude of ensembles, performing and recording with groups such as The University of the Arts Big Band.  In his work with peers from the UArts Theater Department, Charlie was able to explore the improvisational capabilities of the instrument in conjunction with actors and stage dialogue.  The most recent example of such a project was seen during an exclusive trip to Liverpool, England in 2006, when Charlie performed in the Paul McCartney Theater in a stirring rendition of Sam Shepard's Tongues.  The collaborative opportunities continued with Rumble – The University of the Arts’ original bucket-drumming group.  Rumble’s exciting blend of urban beats and original choreography took Charlie across the Philadelphia area and the globe; he helped lead the group through performances in Tokyo, Japan, and Liverpool, England.

Charlie continues busy work as a performer in Philly’s club scene.  He is recording and doing local touring with The March Hare, and can be heard on the group’s forthcoming full-length release, Mister Nimbus.  His collaboration with Mountain Man led him to engineer and mix their full length, self titled album, as well as a significant amount of local performances.  To that end, he and the ‘Man were named Philadelphia’s Best Band of 2007 by Emergenza, and competed in the festival’s national finals in New York City’s Webster Hall.

When not performing, Charlie works extensively as a devoted educator.  Aside from teaching private lessons, he has done a considerable amount of education through the aesthetic inspired by Rumble.  He’s helped the ensemble give clinics and master classes focused on the multi-disciplinary capabilities and accessibility of making music “without musical instruments.”  To that end, he coordinated, developed, and directed a bucket-drumming curriculum for Philadelphia’s Honickman Learning Center in 2008.  In addition, Charlie has served on the faculty of Penn State University’s Summer Music Camp for the last two years, where he has taught master classes, directed bands, and given private instruction to aspiring jazz drummers.  Most recently, he plans to take the reins of Sozo’s monthly jazz jam in State College, where musicians of all ages and ability levels can come, play, and learn about jazz.

Charlie graduated from the University of the Arts with Honors in 2008, receiving the John Alberti Memorial Drumset Award and giving the Valedictory Address at commencement.  He subsequently moved back to State College in order to pursue a graduate degree in Music Education at Penn State University, and direct PSU’s Outer Dimensions big band under a graduate assistantship. 

Currently, Charlie resides, performs, and teaches in State College, PA.  There he has had the pleasure to work with incredible up-and-coming artists and musicians, most notably  the original music endeavors of luminary saxophonist Greg Johnson.  Through the intensive study of improvisational music, Charlie has begun to invent his own sound; his own means of instrumental liberation.  Come to a performance, and be prepared to experience something special.