Charl originated the role of Smokey Robinson in Motown: The Musical, garnering a nomination for a 2013 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical on Broadway. He is also featured on the Motown Grammy Nominated Original Broadway Cast recording, and recently returned from 6 months in London’s West End reprising his Smokey Robinson role. In 2014 Charl worked with legendary composer Steven Schwartz playing the role of Adam/Noah in Children of Eden at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.. Other credits include Jersey Boys on Broadway and Las Vegas, Sister Act on Broadway, Hair in Europe, Ever After, Johnny Baseball, Dreamgirls, Six Degrees of Separation, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line, and Star Wars Trilogy in 30 Minutes at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Charl has also appeared on television on Madam Secretary, Britain's Got Talent, America's Got Talent, Macy's 85th & 87th Thanksgiving Parade, 63rd Annual Tony Awards, and A Capitol 4th. He is a proud Graduate of the University of Southern California School of Theater.

Hailed by The New York Times as one of “Broadway’s Electric Conductors,” Ellison is one of the most accomplished and sought-after music director/composers working today.

Currently the Music Supervisor/Conductor/arranger of the new Broadway-bound musical Roman Holiday, he is also the composer of the award-winning new musical The Black and White Ball with Stephen Cole, as well as The Canterville Hotel with Brendan Cull. He also composed the songs “The Long Way” for Emily Skinner, and “Gettin’ Nowhere Fast” for Guy Haines.

He is currently the Music Supervisor of An American in Paris at the Dominion Theater in London’s West End, as well as 42nd Street at the Drury Lane Theater.

His Broadway credits include Michel Legrand’s Amour, Monty Python’s Spamalot (Best Musical Tony Award), La Cage aux Folles (Best Musical Revival Tony Award), 42nd Street (Best Revival Tony Award ), Elton John’s Lestat, Annie, The Wild Party, On the Town, Once Upon a Mattress (starring Sarah Jessica Parker), How To Succeed (starring Matthew Broderick), She Loves Me, Taller than a Dwarf and A Class Act.

He was the music director of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at the famed Radio City Music Hall for several seasons.

As Marvin Hamlisch’s music director, Ellison worked with him on his productions of Ballroom and The Nutty Professor directed by Jerry Lewis.

For City Center’s Encores!, he conducted their acclaimed version of On The Town and The Bandwagon.

Internationally, he has conducted at the Vienna Konzerthaus with Dawn Upshaw and Jerry Hadley, The Dublin Film Orchestra, Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Mexico City), World Science Festival at Lincoln Center, Cole Porter’s Jubilee at Carnegie Hall, the Pittsburgh Symphony, San Diego Symphony, The Philly POPS, Nashville Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, New Haven, New Jersey, and York Symphonies.

He has conducted more than 20 albums including the Grammy Award-winning cast albums of his shows. He has accompanied such stars as Beyoncé, Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols, Nicole Kidman, Barry Manilow, Jane Lynch, Bea Arthur, David Hyde Pierce, Tracey Ullman, and Kelsey Grammar.

Born in Essex, Connecticut, Ellison began his piano lessons at age 6 and is a graduate of Boston University School of Music with a degree in piano performance.