Tim Genis is an American timpanist. He is the principal timpanist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2003. [1] He was the assistant timpanist of the BSO from 1993 to 2003 and the associate timpanist and assistant principal percussionist of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra from 1991 to 1993. He was also previously the assistant principal percussionist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. [2]
Genis holds an undergraduate degree from the Juilliard School where he studied with Roland Kohloff. [3] He teaches at Boston University. [4]
Timpani or kettledrums are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. Thus timpani are an example of kettledrums, also known as vessel drums and semispherical drums, whose body is similar to a section of a sphere whose cut conforms the head. Most modern timpani are pedal timpani and can be tuned quickly and accurately to specific pitches by skilled players through the use of a movable foot-pedal. They are played by striking the head with a specialized beater called a timpani stick or timpani mallet. Timpani evolved from military drums to become a staple of the classical orchestra by the last third of the 18th century. Today, they are used in many types of ensembles, including concert bands, marching bands, orchestras, and even in some rock bands.
William Kraft was an American composer, conductor, teacher, timpanist, and percussionist.
Seiji Ozawa was a Japanese conductor known internationally for his work as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and especially the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), where he served from 1973 for 29 years. After conducting the Vienna New Year's Concert in 2002, he was director of the Vienna State Opera until 2010. In Japan, he founded the Saito Kinen Orchestra in 1984, their festival in 1992, and the Tokyo Opera Nomori in 2005.
Saul Goodman was the principal timpanist of the New York Philharmonic from 1926 to 1972.
Peter Donohoe CBE is an English classical pianist.
Mitchell Thomas Peters was a principal timpanist and percussionist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He composed well-known pieces for the marimba such as "Yellow After the Rain" and "Sea Refractions"; it is said that these works were composed because Peters felt that there was a lack of musically interesting material that would introduce his students to four-mallet marimba techniques.
John Harvey Wyre was a U.S.-born Canadian percussionist, composer, and music educator. He worked as percussionist with a number of important orchestras in North America, notably serving for many years as the principal timpanist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He was a founding member of the percussion ensemble Nexus, with which he performed for over 30 years. He was also artistic director of World Drums with whom he organized and directed performances at several major international events. His music compositions have been performed by ensembles throughout the world, including the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra, and the Japan Philharmonic among others.
Everett Joseph "Vic" Firth was an American musician and the founder of Vic Firth Company, a company that makes percussion sticks and mallets. He was also known for his association with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Rainer Seegers is a German percussionist, former principal timpanist of the Berlin Philharmonic, tutor of the European Union Youth Orchestra and guest professor at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler". Seegers is also a timpani soloist who has championed the unusual repertoire for timpani and orchestra.
Gary Clifford Dennis Brain was a New Zealand timpanist and conductor. He was a principal timpanist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra until an accident permanently damaged his wrist. Following the accident, Brain retrained to become a conductor, studying under Rafael Kubelík for four years, and attended master classes with Lorin Maazel. He was a professional conductor from 1990 until his death.
Derek Gleeson is an Irish/American musician. Born in Dublin, Ireland. He is currently the music director and conductor of the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra and has been the conductor at the Anna Livia Dublin International Opera Festival. Since 2012 Gleeson is also music director & conductor of the Rachmaninov Festival Orchestra. Since January 2016 Gleeson is Principal Guest Conductor or The Harbin Symphony Orchestra, Harbin, China. He also composes musical scores for film and television and of symphonic music for the concert hall.
Russell Peck was an American composer born in Detroit on January 25, 1945 to Thorland (Tom) and Margaret (Carlson) Peck. He died in Greensboro, North Carolina on March 1, 2009, at the age of 64.
This England is a classical music album by the Oregon Symphony under the artistic direction of Carlos Kalmar, released by Dutch record label PentaTone Classics in November 2012. The album was recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, at five performances in February and May 2012. It contains works by three English 20th-century composers: Edward Elgar's Cockaigne , Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 5, and "Four Sea Interludes" and "Passacaglia" from Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes. The recording was the orchestra's second under Kalmar's leadership, following Music for a Time of War (2011), which also included works by Britten and Vaughan Williams. This England received positive critical reception but failed to chart.
Michael Alden Bayard is an American percussionist, drummer, composer, recording artist, music lecturer, and author. A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music Pre-College Division and the Curtis Institute of Music who made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 16, Bayard has performed percussion and timpani under numerous conductors. As a percussion soloist, he served with the Sacramento Symphony as the principal percussionist for 17 years and has been featured with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Queens Symphony, Joffrey Ballet Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Reno Philharmonic, Stockton Symphony, and Santa Rosa Symphony. Bayard currently performs with Grammy award-winning Mary Youngblood.
Tatsuo Sasaki is a Japanese percussionist, playing timpani, xylophone and marimba. He became a naturalized American citizen and lives in San Diego, California.
Stanley Sprenger Leonard is a timpanist, composer and educator. He was Principal Timpanist for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1956-1994. As a solo artist, he premiered several major new works for solo timpani and orchestra with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In 2010, he was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.
Morris Goldenberg was an American percussionist, music teacher, and method book author. He wrote several books on orchestral snare drumming, mallet percussion, and timpani. He is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.
Carl E. Gardner was an American percussionist, drum maker, and method book author.
Timothy K. Adams Jr. is the Mildred Goodrum Heyward Professor at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Prior to joining the faculty, he was the Principal Timpani with the Canton Symphony Orchestra, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Elayne Viola Jones was an American timpanist. An African American woman, born in NYC to Barbadian immigrants, she overcame challenges. From learning piano to excelling in timpani, she graduated from Juilliard, her mentors being Saul Goodman and Morris "Moe" Goldenberg. Jones's career was marked by remarkable firsts. She became the first Black opera orchestra member in 1949, played with esteemed ensembles, and won a blind audition to join the San Francisco Symphony in 1972, becoming the first black principal in a major American orchestra. Also, Jones was the first documented African American to play with the New York Philharmonic. In 2019 she became the fourth female member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.