Our Staff

Brian Charles founded Charles Double Reed Company in 1983. Brian studied at the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music and played oboe, bassoon, and a range of additional instruments professionally in NYC. He worked at the famed Ponte Music Company in NYC during his conservatory years as oboe and bassoon reedmaker and general assistant. When Charles Ponte retired and closed his shop, Brian purchased the double reed department and launched his own double reed company from his brownstone in Brooklyn.

Brian coded and built CDRC’s online presence in 1993, a full year before Amazon. He continues to maintain our website, and along with the Charles Double Reed Company staff, launched a fully revised website in 2018. He was the principal editor and photographer for our entire 28 year run of annual catalogs. Brian has edited and published others’ work, including The Art of Bassoon Reed Making, by Mark Popkin and Lauren Glickman. His short stories have been published in numerous literary reviews. He has presented master classes and lectures on double reed topics at universities and clinics nationally and abroad. He has been a sponsored Buffet and Yamaha Artist, and has had compositions commissioned by Yamaha for their Midi-Grand piano.

Brian was the recipient of the Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce, served a three year term as an elected member of the regional budget committee, and ran for NH State Representative. In 2008 he founded a full-line music store for Central and Northern New Hampshire based in North Conway which serves 20 schools, hosts 9 teachers, and offers repair in multiple instruments. He is married to Sarah, the love of his life, and is very proud of Theo, his adult son.
Jennifer Morrison manages all aspects of Charles Double Reed Company. She has been an essential part of Charles Double Reed Company for over 20 years, starting in customer service. She handles accounting, human resources, and product management among dozens of other duties. Jennifer creates harmony where there is havoc.
Nico LaRoche is a trained woodwind and brass repair technician.  Their technical skill and dedication to learning made them a valuable member of our team, and garners great respect from both our repair and retail customers. Although on an extended sabbatical, we remain hopeful that Nico will return to us someday.