ABIGAIL JACOBSON
Special to The Leader
An alumnus of SUNY Fredonia, Charlie Post has worked his way up in the music world to recording top-tier orchestras.
Charlie Post graduated in 1998 with a dual Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree in music-applied and sound recording technology. He went on to work different positions in the music industry, and won his second grammy at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards.
Post won his first Grammy back in 2021 for a live orchestra performance, “Shostakovich Symphony No. 13 Babi Yar.”
“I got chills several times and thought to myself, ‘This performance is stellar; the world needs to hear it,’” Post said.
Post was one of the music engineers on this recording of the performance. This was recorded live in 2018 with Riccardo Muti, the Zell Music Director and Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). It was released in 2020, and went on to win a Grammy in 2021.
Post then went on to win his second Grammy this year, from “Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique – The Making Of The Orchestra.”
“Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique – The Making Of The Orchestra” is described by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as ‘a 25-minute concerto for orchestra and animated film.’
The musical composition was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
This recording of “Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique – The Making Of The Orchestra” won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Classical.
“Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique – The Making Of The Orchestra” can be found on Spotify, Apple music and Apple TV.
“It’s fantastic to get this level of recognition … To have it happen twice is a dream,” Post said.
Post went on to talk about words of wisdom he has for current music students and what he thinks they need to learn from the music field that will help them in the long run. That includes knowing how to navigate a studio, learning all aspects of audio and video production and learning to be well-rounded in their field.
“I recommend diversifying [your areas of study] — that is learning all facets of the industry in which you plan to work,” Post said.
Post also provided advice for all students at Fredonia.
“I strongly recommend considering furthering [your education] with a master’s degree, too. You are already in the process of getting a solid basis of understanding at Fredonia,” Post said.
Even though Post does not have a master’s degree himself, he believes that it is advantageous for upcoming generations of music professionals to attain one.
“To be competitive in today’s world, advanced training is a must,” Post said. “At least in the audio industry, that means getting a master’s degree.”
Post said during his time in the music industry, he has held “a variety of different positions in the world of audio including working from the ground level-up in commercial recording studios, mixing live sound in both concert halls and theaters … and now working for a top-tier orchestra.”
Post currently works as an audio engineer at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has earned 64 Grammy awards.
Post talked about how Fredonia prepared him for his career in the music industry.
“[At Fredonia] you are in an excellent place where you’re exposed to music being made at a high level and [are provided] with the tools to capture it,” Post said.
Post went on to share some of his fondest memories during his time at Fredonia. He talked about a time where he was waiting offstage in Diers Recital Hall, when he was going to play a bass saxophone piece for his senior recital, and then his instrument accidentally fell to the floor.
“It landed with its mouthpiece hitting the wood stage which created a huge noise, and threw the recital into emergency mode,” Post said. “… My stage manager made a calm announcement, and I played the remaining pieces with more adrenaline than I would normally have.”
Another memory of Post’s time at Fredonia occurred in Mason Hall.
He talked about how a friend introduced him to a piano student, who he had seen but never talked to before. The pianist, Julian Plyter, went on to become one of Post’s closest friends and the pair are still close to this day. Plyter was even the best man at Post’s wedding.
“I swear, Mason Hall has some kind of magic in it,” Post said.