Musicians Behind the Scenes: Associate Principal Percussion Charlie Rosmarin

Where were you born? I was born in Boston and raised in the suburb of Milton, Massachusetts.

What piece of music could you play over and over again? My auditioning career has proven the answer to be Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije, haha. But I’ve performed Messiaen’s Turangalîla-symphonie twice in my life and can’t wait for the next time.

What is your most treasured possession? My late grandmother wrote her memoir during the pandemic and gave everyone in the family a hardcover copy. A very inspired, very generous thing for her to do. I also treasure my collection of lesson recordings and practice journals, which feel like a document of my entire musical life.

If you could ask one composer one question, what would it be? The final chord of Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances is a short note for the entire ensemble except for the tam-tam, which is allowed to ring. I’d ask what that tam-tam note means to him, and why he chose to stop composing after this piece. I’d also ask Gershwin—maybe the greatest orchestral composer for the xylophone—what else he had planned for our instrument if he’d lived longer than 38.

What piece of music never fails to move you? It’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of the Suite No. 2 from Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe.

What’s your favorite Philadelphia restaurant? Morning Glory Diner and the Kettle Black, a French bakery/bagelry.

What are you reading right now? Hua Hsu’s Stay True and Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible. I’m loving both.

When did you join the Orchestra? I just joined in January 2024! I’m a real newbie here.

What do you love most about performing? I love the spontaneous moments of music-making that happen in concerts. It takes a combination of the musicians’ flexibility and the audience’s energy. In Philadelphia there’s plenty of both, and so these moments of spontaneity happen all the time.

What do you like to do in your spare time? I like going for runs along the Schuylkill River Trail and reading on my big couch. I also like searching for the best bagel, bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich in the city. I’ll take any leads you have.

In your opinion, is there a piece of music that isn’t in the standard orchestral repertoire that should be? Prokofiev’s Sixth Symphony; Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta; and the full set of Shostakovich symphonies (not just Nos. 5 and 10!).

When was the first time you heard The Philadelphia Orchestra? In my late teens I heard them play Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. I remember our timpanist Don Liuzzi’s playing and how rich of a sound he (and everyone else) produced.

What advice would you give to aspiring young musicians? Work hard, learn from absolutely everybody, and try to listen to a new piece of music every day. And time is almost always better spent at a live concert than in a practice room.

What’s your favorite food? Maybe a little strange, but green apples. I usually have one or two a day.

Tell us about your instrument. As a percussionist, it’s really a range of instruments that I play—the entire family of things you strike, shake, or scrape, and then some. I love the job’s variety. One week might require your highly refined snare drum technique and the next you might be learning to make a basic sound on the didgeridoo.

What’s in your instrument case? An assortment of sticks, brushes, and mallets for snare drum, xylophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone, and marimba. They have a range of weights and hardness, which help me access a wide palette of sounds. I also use my bag to store drum keys (which tune drums), a bongo wrench, and Moongel, a product that dampens overly ringy drumheads.

Do you play any other instruments? My first instrument was piano. I also spent a misguided year in middle school trying to play the French horn. It wasn’t meant to be, but it makes the experience of sitting behind our fabulous horn section all the more impressive.

What is the most challenging piece you have ever played? Performing the drum set part on Duke Ellington’s Harlem was thrilling and also a little terrifying. Like a good roller coaster ride.

Do you speak any other languages? French, Pig Latin.

What’s your favorite movie? The Grand Budapest Hotel, Before Sunset, Hot Fuzz, and Fargo.

What do you love most about Philadelphia? Its walkability!

What’s the first album you ever bought or downloaded? The Beatles (The White Album), as a double CD. My dad had told me about how crazy the track “Revolution 9” was and I needed to hear it. Can’t say it makes much more sense to me now than it did then.

What’s on your Spotify playlist? I throw everything onto an eclectic “Liked songs” playlist, which is over 1,000 tracks. I’m pretty omnivorous, but I gravitate toward indie rock from the 2010s, funk from any decade, and rappers with a good flow.

What’s your go-to karaoke song? Last time, I tried Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin Down.” Wouldn’t recommend that song—there are way more high notes than I realized. My voice gave out before the second chorus. Apologies to all who were there.

Other than Marian Anderson Hall, where is your favorite place to perform? I spent four years as a fellow at an orchestral academy in Miami called the New World Symphony. Their Frank Gehry-designed concert hall is worth a visit if you’re ever on Miami Beach. It’s a small hall at 756 seats, but it’s outfitted with a lot of technology that makes it highly modular. They’re able to do some very inventive concert programming, as well as high-quality broadcasting.

What is your favorite memory with the Orchestra? Well, I’m new here so I don’t have a huge bank of memories to draw upon. But I have great memories of how warmly the group welcomed me in. And Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 with Yannick last April stands out as a particularly elevated week of music-making. I remember being struck by how many amazing soloists we have in this group.

Photo by Kate Nottage