Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Charles Stier’s early fascination with music inspired him to play many instruments, including piano, harmonica, ukulele, guitar and the clarinet. Charles earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Maryland, where he studied clarinet performance with Norman Heim. Teaching at the beginner through graduate school levels, Dr. Stier was a founding clarinet faculty member of the Washington Conservatory of Music and was on the faculties of the Peabody Preparatory of Baltimore and the Catholic University of America. After an international career as a clarinet soloist and recording artist, Dr. Stier is devoted to teaching piano, composition and guitar at Cherry Valley Music, an independent music studio in Olney, Maryland.