Classical Notes: March 15, 2010 Archive

Confessions of a Drum Dork

Posted at 8:27 PM on March 15, 2010 by Gillian Martin
Filed under: Awards & Accomplishments, Fun finds, Musician stories

When Jauvon Gilliam heard that the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., was looking for a new timpanist, he wanted that job. Bad.

So on the 26-hour drive from Winnipeg, he called up other professional timpanists along the way and asked to play for them, so that he could get used to playing nervous and in unfamiliar settings.

The prep paid off, and he got the job. Read more about this self-identified "drum dork" and get a peek into a timpanist's world here.