A native of Prescott, AZ (USA), Charles Foldesh began playing drums at age ten.  Since then, he has obtained a long list of accomplishments.  A recipient of the John Coltrane Scholarship, Charles received his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies and Performance from the renowned Oberlin Conservatory of Music, under the instruction of jazz legend, Billy Hart.

He has performed and toured all over the world, sharing the stage with such internationally recognized artists as Gary Bartz, Marcus Belgrave, George Benson, Claude Black, Andres Boiarsky, John Clayton, Theo Croker, Joey DeFrancesco, Slide Hampton, Alex Han, Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart, Jimmy Heath, Bryan Lynch, Claudio Roditi, Coco Zhao, and Shunza (顺子)..  Charles has made appearances at festivals all over the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia.

Currently based in Shanghai, China, Charles was the house-band drummer for Asia's number one English speaking night-time talk show, Asia Uncut (season 2).  He was featured on the show before an audience of more than 200 million viewers in 59 countries.  Guests on the show included such celebrities as Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Wang Lee Hom, Tom Arnold, Edward Norton, Aaron Eckhart, Edison Chen, Lin Peng, Mandira Bedi, and Prachi Desai.

Having made frequent appearances at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, Charles had the pleasure of entertaining such dignitaries as U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Noted for his passionate swinging style, Charles has been featured nightly with the Theo Croker Sextet at Shanghai's renowned Peace Hotel Jazz Bar since 2010. He also leads his own group, the Charles Foldesh Quintet, which was the headlining artist at the 2012 Macau Jazz Week.  He is often the drummer of choice for recordings and performances with musicians and singers from all over the world.  In addition, he maintains a busy private teaching schedule at the JZ School and the Shanghai Rego International School.

Charles plays Bosphorus Cymbals.