Charles Lesaffre was born in 1949 in Loos, a small town in the suburbs of Lille in the north of France. He began his musical apprenticeship with the Loos Band, and after his 'A' levels, he took up music teaching and began conducting bands and choirs while continuing his studies first at the Lille Music Academy, then at the National Music Academy in Paris and at Paris University. He conducted the Bondues Band until 1978 then after his marriage to an English woman, he settled first in Vierzon then in the Ile-de-France where he concentrated solely on teaching.
In 2005 he went back to conducting and now leads the Magny Marching Band in les Yvelines. Holder of a degree from the Sorbonne and several Music Academy awards; composition, trumpet, music reading and singing, he now devotes his time to composing music and arranging choral pieces.Several of his works are played regularly abroad, mainly in Japan, Mexico and in Europe and some of his educational pieces have won prizes from the C.M.F. (Confédération Musicale de France).
His works are published by Billaudot, Lemoine, Combre, Variantes and, of course, by Andel.