Summer Percussion Academy and Workshop
John Kilkenny, Artist Liaison

Percussionist John Kilkenny (BM the Juilliard School, MM Temple University) enjoys a multi faceted career that includes regular orchestral performances with such prestigious ensembles as the National Symphony, Washington National Opera and Ballet, Washington Concert Opera, Cathedral Choral Society, Washington Chorus, Choral Arts Society, and the Master Choral of Washington.

In addition to orchestral appearances, John is active as both a chamber musician and soloist.  He has performed the works of, among others, Elliott Carter, Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, Sebastian Currier, George Crumb, John Cage, Lou Harrison, Jonathan Newman, Steven Bryant, Avero Part, Steve Reich, John Mackey, Augusta Reed Thomas, Bernard Rands, Robert Miller, Daniel Levitan, and Alejandro Vinao. Recent chamber music collaborations include performances with Chris Deviney, John Tafoya, Robert Van Sice, Talujon Percussion, Gregory Zuber, She e Wu, performances of Alejandro Vinao’s Estudios De Frontera, Michael Daugherty’s UFO Percussion Concerto, and Philip Glass Concerto Fantasy for two Timpanists and Orchestra.  Recently, John appeared as the solo percussionist for a newly conceived production of Macbeth at the Folger Shakespeare Theater, which was directed by Teller, of Penn and Teller fame. John recently completed writing the solo percussion music for Don McCullough’s newest large scale choral work – Let my People Go, a Musical Journey through the Underground Railroad, which premiered in April 2008 at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  He has been a part of several recent and upcoming commissions, including new percussion ensemble literature from Peter Erskine, Jonathan Newman, and Dennis Hoffmann, chamber works by Alejandro Vinao and a new work for harp, soprano, marimba/vibes (one player) and choir by Don McCullough.

John is currently associate professor of music at George Mason University and director of the GMU Percussion Ensemble.  Ensembles under his direction have performed at the Virginia Music Educators Conference, The Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at The University of Maryland, Music for All National Festival (2003, 2005, 2007), and the Millennium Stage, Terrace Theater and Concert Hall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.