Charles Lilly was born in 1987 and began playing trombone in the 6th grade when an elderly neighbor gave him his old trombone. Charles attended California State University, Long Beach where he earned a Bachelor of Music in trombone performance. During his time at CSULB and later at USC, his quintet was a finalist three times in the Coleman Chamber Music Competition (2009, 2010, 2013). He then received his Masters of Music from the University of Southern California in 2012. As a soloist, he was awarded Honorable Mention in the Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition (2011). He has also performed as a featured soloist with the Topanga Symphony (2016) He enjoys performing regularly in the greater Los Angeles area. Charles thanks his teachers; Noah Gladstone, James Miller, Michael Hoffman, and Terry Cravens.