As a young man, Charles Ansbacher devoted almost twenty years to building the Colorado Springs Symphony, which named him Conductor Laureate when he stepped down in 1989.

Among his acclaimed performances were an all-Brahms program at Harvard University's Sanders Theater, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and the same work in Belgrade with American and Russian soloists.

He also conducted the Sarajevo Philharmonic in performances throughout Austria, including at the famed Salzburg Grosse Festspielhaus, and Vienna's City Hall.

He conducted major orchestras in Canada, Colombia, Israel, Ecuador, Italy, Lithuania, South Africa, South Korea, Vietnam, and of course the United States; however, his main thrust as an orchestra leader had been to perform in nations undergoing political transition, such as Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

The Landmarks Orchestra annually incubates a new work for children, and six of these are available on MSO CD's: Make Way for Ducklings, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, The Journey of Phillis Wheatley, Lifting the Curse: The Story of the Red Sox, David and Old Ironsides, and John Adams: the Voice Heard 'Round the World.

In 2009, Ansbacher was honored by the City of Cambridge, MA, and the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon for his civic and artistic contributions in the United States and around the world.

In February 2010, the National Theater of Sarajevo unveiled a plaque to thank him for his artistic leadership in the city, which began immediately after the siege in 1994 and continues today.

On July 7, 2010, as Ansbacher led the Boston Landmarks Orchestra in Fenway Park's first full-length orchestral concert, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick presented him with a plaque that reads: Maestro Charles Ansbacher visionary founder Boston Landmarks Orchestra Free for All Concert Fund ensuring classical music for all 2010 The plaque will be mounted on a bench on the Esplanade.