Charles Rochester Young has won high praises and honors for his work as a composer. Dr. Young’s original compositions have been performed on 5 continents, in all 50 states, and in major halls of the US and Europe, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Thousands of known performances of Dr. Young’s music have been heard around the globe. His works have been performed by members of most major orchestras in the US as well as some of the world’s foremost soloists and chamber ensembles. His works are widely published and recorded.

Dr. Young has had performances at leading music conventions including the MENC National Convention, World Saxophone Congress, World Harp Congress, Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, National Flute Association Convention, Society of Composers national conference, and the World Association of Symphonic Band and Ensembles (WASBE) convention to name a few. Dr. Young has received awards from the ASCAP (annually since 1994), National Flute Association, National Band Association, National Association of Composers, British and International Bassists Federations, National Endowment for the Arts, Aaron Copland Foundation, Meet the Composer, and others.

Dr. Young is a graduate of Baylor University and the University of Michigan. He held as his mentors Pulitzer-prize winner Leslie Bassett, Donald Sinta, Marianne Ploger and Keith Hill. Dr. Young is the Coordinator of Musicianship at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. Previously, Dr. Young served on the faculty at the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

A tireless advocate for training musicians in composition and improvisation, Dr. Young was named “Wisconsin Professor of the Year” by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education in 1999. The University of Wisconsin system named Dr. Young as the recipient of their University of Wisconsin System Teaching Excellence Award in 2000. Dr. Young is a highly sought after presenter, clinician and guest composer around the nation.