Charles Allan Gerhardt was an American conductor and record producer born on
February 6, 1927, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He studied piano at age five and
composition at nine before serving in the Navy during World War II. Gerhardt
attended several universities and the Juilliard School. Between 1951 and 1955,
he held technical roles at RCA Victor. In 1960, he began producing recordings
for RCA Victor and Reader's Digest, including the 12-LP set A Festival of Light
Classical Music. Gerhardt formed an orchestra in 1964, which was incorporated as
the National Philharmonic Orchestra i...