CHARLIE CAMPAGNA

Since his first composition for modern dance with a 4 track Porta-Studio and Radio Shack microphone at the age of 16, this Buffalo NY native has had a passion for creating music and collaborating with the visual and performing arts. He has been music director of Los Angeles based TRIP Dance Theatre since 1998 and has been working as a composer and musician in Los Angeles since 1989. The Los Angeles Times has praised Charlie for his "transfixing" and "crackling guitar work", and called collaborations with TRIP "a mind-blowing journey into the aural and physical."

Charlie's compositions and live playing merge his interests in guitar, cello, percussion, and textural sound collage. He has composed, directed music and mastered performance CD's for TRIP Dance Theatre performances: Praying for Daybreak, Inanna, Light, May Mother Sea, Feast, Wanderlust, Exquisite Corpse, Soulstasis and Wild Garden as well as for such choreographers as Nina Kaufman, Erica Rebollar, Linda Gold, and Eryn Schon.  

 In 1999 Charlie co-founded the community-based     improvisational dance workshop, Sacred Spaces with TRIP Artistic Director Monica Favand.  He directs a improvisational 5 piece ambient music ensemble and plays guitar and cello at the workshops, which take place at the Church in Ocean Park in Santa Monica every Thursday  night. 

Working in many areas of music, with a full production studio in Silverlake California, Charlie has contributed his music to many different projects such as the films "Don't Say A Word," and the 2002 release "High Crimes," "There's Something About Mary" (with Billy Goodrum),"The Wild Side" and "Phoenix" and has collaborated with composers such as Paul Hasslinger (Tangerine Dream) and Graham Revel. Charlie is a mastering engineer for artists such as the late Barry White, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff as well as Etta James, James Hood, DJ Dan, BMG, RCA, and Savoy Jazz. Currently, Charlie is enjoying producing/collaborating on several album projects including a project with Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Johnne Perez. Charlie was a founding member of the band, Quarks, for which he composed and played lead guitar from 1991-1997.

Please visit also www.tripdance.org 

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