About
Mr. Brown is an accomplished solo artist and a frequent competitor at marimba competitions. He has won first prize in the marimba division of the New York International Percussion Competition, second prize at both the Bamberg Marimba Competition and the Great Plains International Marimba Competition, and won the Taiwan Percussion Arts Alliance Online Soloist Audition. He has been a featured soloist multiple times at the University of South Florida, a guest soloist with the Broward Symphonic Band, and performed a recital at the Brevard Music Center in collaboration with Grammy-winning composer Robert Aldridge.
As an orchestral musician, he has worked with some of the finest that the symphonic world has to offer. Mr. Brown has played under the baton of Louis Langrée, JoAnn Falletta, Keith Lockhart, Matthias Bamert, Rune Bergmann, Sebastian Lang-Lessing, Michael Francis, Marcelo Lehninger, Daniel Hege, and others. At the Brevard Music Center, he played alongside members of the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, and more while serving as the principal percussionist of the Brevard Sinfonia, Principal Timpanist of the Brevard Opera, and Assistant Principal of the Brevard Music Center Orchestra. Mr. Brown worked with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as a section percussionist and was part of the orchestra that recorded their GRAMMY-nominated album Transatlantic. Recent orchestral work, has included recorded performances with The Venice Symphony (FL).
In Spring of 2019, William toured England, Spain, and Portugal with the World Percussion Group, a hand-picked group of percussionists from a highly competitive worldwide audition process. In England, the tour included performances at the Birmingham Conservatory, the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, and several other conservatories. In Spain and Portugal, the World Percussion Group stopped at multiple schools of music to give dynamic performances and clinics. Mr. Brown presented “The Hour Before” at many of these conservatories, a clinic designed to foster healthy mental attitudes towards practice and performance.
William Brown is also a dynamic member of the new music community as part of the McCormick Percussion Group, a new-music ensemble under the direction of Robert McCormick that specializes in world premieres of music for the percussion orchestra. Mr. Brown has released four albums as part of the ensemble, and has worked with such influential contemporary composers as Stuart Saunders Smith, Daniel Adams, and Baljinder Sehkon. The McCormick Percussion Group is an immensely respected percussion ensemble that is perennially given favorable reviews of its work by outlets including Gramophone and I care if you listen.
As a freelance percussionist, Mr. Brown has the unique opportunity to work with world-renowned acts as they are touring. These acts have included legendary rock-band The Who (pictured to the left), Cirque Musica, Johnny Mathis, Kristen Chenoweth, Arturo Sandoval, and the Irish Tenors.
In addition to his performance focus, Mr. Brown is an active educator who has years of experience in percussive pedagogy. Mr. Brown is a multi-faceted teacher, working as a private tutor, guest clinician, and regular instructor at several institutions. He teaches all ages, having presented classes at high schools, middle schools, universities, and conservatories both in the United States and Europe.
Mr. Brown works towards developing well-rounded musicianship in each of his students, introducing them to the entire percussive lexicon and helping them achieve literacy in musical theory, technical prowess, and sensitive musicianship. With extensive professional experience in orchestral percussion and drumset playing, William is able to help students identify what they want to focus on, assist them in setting goals for themselves, and guide them towards success.
Are you interested in pursuing inspiring lessons or experiencing a powerful performance? Click below to get in touch with William Brown today.