About Dave: Performer, Educator, Composer, Entrepreneur
Performer
Dave Alcorn is a contemporary percussionist and founding member of the percussion group, Clocks in Motion, committed to performing classic percussion literature and chamber music, as well as commissioning new repertoire. He was the principal timpanist/percussionist of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra and has performed on a regular basis with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. As a guest soloist, Dave has performed with the NYU Percussion Ensemble, as well as the Colorado Chamber Orchestra, with whom he premiered Michael Udow's percussion concerto Remembrance.
Dave has performed and given masterclasses as a guest artist at many institutes including the University of Michigan, Ohio University, the Interlochen Arts Academy, Baldwin-Wallace University, Cleveland-State University, Casper College, the University of North Carolina-Pembroke and West Liberty University.
In addition to western classical music, Dave is also active in music from various other cultures. He is the former president and member of the Brazilian Samba group Vencedores, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dave has studied instruments of the Middle East, including riq, doumbek, tar, and various other hand drums with Ian Ding. He is a former member of the University of Michigan Arabic Ensemble. In addition, Dave has studied tabla with Todd Hammes, Dan Piccolo and Elliot Beck.
As a recipient of the Paul Collins Fellowship, Dave matriculated with a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received his Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance and Music Education from the University of Michigan. His primary teachers include Anthony DiSanza, Michael Udow, Joseph Gramley, Ian Ding, Brian Jones, Cary Kocher and Subha Das. Dave hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Educator
Dave has distinguished himself as a quality dedicated music educator having held substantive positions with Casper College and the Huron Valley Catholic School. As the percussion instructor at Casper College, Dave taught private lessons, percussion ensemble, and the Latin Jazz Combo. He also started a world music club that focused on music from outside the Western tradition.
During the summer, Dave is the senior faculty member of the percussion program at the New England Music Camp and also co-directs the percussion program at Music con Brio in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dave received a teaching certification from the University of Michigan, where he studied with esteemed music educators including Robert Culver, Colleen Conway, Betty Anne Younker, Marie McCarthy and Kate Fitzpatrick.
Composer
Since 2007, Dave has been a staff arranger and composer for the Mt. Lebanon Percussion Ensemble. His arrangements and compositions have been performed by groups throughout the United States, including the University of Michigan and the University of California-Los Angeles. In addition, his arrangements have been featured at conferences and summer festivals, including the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Conference, National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy, National Percussion Festival, Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar, Idyllwild Music Festival, and MPulse Summer Percussion Institute.
In 2010, Dave was commissioned by the University of Michigan to arrange Tarik O’Regan’s Triptych for choir and percussion ensemble. It was premiered December 8th, 2010 by the University of Michigan Chamber Choir and Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Jerry Blackstone. For more information on this arrangement, please visit Chester Novello. A recording of the arrangement can be found here.
Entrepreneur
Dave’s diverse background includes video and audio recording and editing of live concerts, closed studio sessions, and documentaries. He regularly records recitals and other musical events in the Madison, WI area. In 2012, Dave worked with Nancy and Michael Udow to help create a DVD of the Equilibrium Dance & Percussion Duo. For more information about Dave's recording offerings, click here.
Dave is also co-founder of the company EQ Percussion. Founded in 2014, EQ Percussion is a business dedicated to creating unique and reliable percussion products. For more information, visit the EQ Percussion webpage.
