ABOUT
William Brown (b. 1997) is a percussionist, educator, and arranger with a dynamic history of musical engagements across a wide array of ensembles and genre. These include touring with Johnny Mathis, playing stadiums with The Who, recording with the Cincinnati Symphony, traveling the globe with the World Percussion Group, and premiering works from percussive imagineers like Stuart Saunders Smith. In 2025 William Brown Percussion released Souvenir, his debut album of original arrangements of Stravinsky and Barber for marimba and piano duet. Hailed by Percussive Notes as “bursting with character, delicacy, and rhythmic energy,” Souvenir is available on all streaming platforms.
Mr. Brown received a Bachelor of Music from the University of South Florida as a student of Robert McCormick. He then completed a Masters of Music degree at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in the studio of Svetoslav Stoyanov and Joseph Petrasek. William is currently in the Doctor of Musical Arts program for Percussion Performance at the University of Maryland, where he serves as a graduate assistant under the instruction of Jonathan Bisesi and Edouard Beyens. William enjoyed additional training at the Brevard Music Center and the Napa Valley Blackburn Music Academy.
During his extensive education as a classical percussionist, William Brown has maintained a rigorous solo career as an orchestral percussionist, chamber musician, and freelancer. He serves as a section percussionist for The Venice Symphony, Master Chorale of South Florida, and performed regularly with The Brevard Symphony, Southwest Florida Symphony, Symphony of the Americas, and others prior to his recent move to Maryland. During his time at the Frost School of Music William worked consistently with The New World Symphony and the Henry Mancini Institute.
William’s career as a freelancer has led to engagements with artists including Kristen Chenoweth, Johnny Mathis. The Irish Tenors, Cirque Musica, Judy Collins, The Who, and more. Mr. Brown has spent several seasons in opera and theatre pits, performing with the Des Moines Metropolitan Opera during its 2023 season, the Asolo Repertory Theatre for runs of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Sound of Music, and HOOD, and the Sarasota Youth Opera for The Hobbit.
As a chamber musician William has worked with a diverse collection of ensembles, with residencies at the Avaloch Music Center, performances in the inaugural Arcata Gathering, and two European tours with the World Percussion Group. His work with the McCormick Percussion Group has resulted in five album releases, Stuart Saunders Smith, At Seventy, the Percussion Music of Stuart Saunders Smith—Chen Li Music, Baljinder Sekhon, Places & Times—Innova Recordings, Kid Stuff, Soli for Piano with Percussion Orchestra—Ravello Records, Sustain, Works for Solo Piano & Percussion Instruments—Navona Records, and Loam, Soli for Tuba, Zheng, Horn with Percussion—Ravello Records.
William has competed in percussive competitions around the globe, earning first prize at the Bamberg Marimba Festival, first(Marimba) and second(Overall) prizes in categories at the New York International Percussion Competition, second prize at the Great Plains International Marimba Competition, and first prize in the Taiwan Percussion Arts Alliance Online Soloist Audition.
From five to fifty-five, Mr. Brown has involved himself in the percussive education of all ages. As a private instructor, he has worked as an instructor at Jam Room Music, Tampa Music School, and provided lessons to local students. Scholastically, William has served as the instructor for both concert and marching percussion at middle and high schools including Alonso, Mann, Brandon, Randall, and Union. At the collegiate level, William has been invited as a clinician to the University of Central Florida, USF, and Texas A&M Corpus Cristi. As a member of the World Percussion Group William has presented clinics and masterclasses at the Royal Birmingham Conservatory, Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Lisboa, Conservatorio Superior de Música de Vigo, and Leeds Conservatoire. William is particularly interested in understanding the psychology of performance, with presentations built around his own experience of performing that have resonated deeply with students around the globe. His talk on the subject can be found on his website blog sonder.
On YouTube @WilliamBrownPercussion, William maintains an active channel of album reviews and marimba repertoire videos, with popular pieces boasting over 20,000 views each.
He currently lives in Hyattsville, Maryland with his wife, Claire, and their dog, Berlioz.