ABOUT

Percussionist William Brown has an extensive background of performance, from a vast classical repertoire to a riveting collection of solo pieces, along with ensemble involvements that foray into exciting avenues of musical selections.

As a solo artist, Mr. Brown won first prize in the marimba division of the New York International Percussion Competition and the Taiwan Percussion Arts Alliance Online Soloist Audition, along with second prize at the Bamberg Marimba Competition and the Great Plains International Marimba Competition. William is also one half of the Abaido-Brown Duo, a collaboration with Ghadeer Abaido that explores powerful orchestral transcriptions as adapted to the exhilarating pairing of piano and marimba.

In 2023 William completed a season with the Des Moines Metropolitan Opera after winning their section percussion audition. He has recently performed with New World Symphony, The Venice(FL) Symphony, and Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. Past engagements include the Napa Valley Festival Orchestra and Cincinnati Symphony. As a freelance percussionist Mr. Brown has performed with such legends as Johnny Mathis, The Who, Kristen Chenoweth, Judy Collins, and the Irish Tenors.

In 2019 William was selected to join the World Percussion Group for a series of performances, masterclasses, and presentations at conservatories and concert venues in England, Spain, and Portugal. William will return to the World Percussion Group for their Fall 2023 tour.

Mr. Brown received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida with Robert McCormick, where he performed on five albums of new music for percussion orchestra, including “At Seventy, The Percussion Music of Stuart Saunders Smith.” William enjoyed additional undergraduate training at the Brevard Music Center in 2017 and 2018. He then received his Master’s in Instrumental Performance at the Frost School of Music under Svetoslav Stoyanov and Joseph Petrasek, where he was a Mancini Fellow.

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