The pianist Charles Spencer was born in Yorkshire, England. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London with Max Pirani where he won various prizes including an Austrian Government Scholarship to study in Vienna with Walter Fleischmann, Noel Flores and Robert Schollum.

He has also attended masterclasses given by Vlado Perlemuter and Geoffrey Parsons.

On completion of his studies, with unanimous distinction in Vienna, he was awarded the Prize for Artistic Merit of the Austrian government.

Charles Spencer is now one of the most sought after piano-accompanists worldwide. He was the preferred accompanist of the great mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig with whom he collaborated for more than 12 years.

Further collaborations have been with Gundula Janowitz, Peter Schreier, Marjana Lipovsek, Jessye Norman, Thomas Quasthoff, Andreas Schmidt, Wolfgang Holzmair, Ulf Baestlein, Bernarda Fink, Ildiko Raimondi, Elena Garanca, Peter Seiffert, Petra-Maria Schnitzer, Paul-Armin Edelmann, Chen Reiss, Iris Vermillion, Rainer Trost, Christiane Oelze, Vesselina Kasarova and Florian Boesch.

Recitals with these artists have taken him to the major international concert venues, and were received enthusiastically by the international press.

Since 1999 Charles Spencer is Ordinarius Professor of Liedinterpretation at the Music University, Vienna. In addition he holds an annual master class with Professor Ulf Baestlein in Husum, Germany. He is Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London.