2024 UTAH DAY OF PERCUSSION CLINICIANS
John Riley
Performer, Author, and Educator
Critically acclaimed performer, author, and teacher, John Riley has worked with the world’s leading jazz musicians for over 30 years. A multiple Grammy award winner, John has played on hundreds of recordings and at major venues with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and many others.
He is the author of The Art of Bop Drumming, currently published in five languages, Beyond Bop Drumming, The Jazz Drummer’s Workshop and the DVD The Master Drummer.
John has a BM in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, 1975, and an MM in Jazz Studies from Manhattan School of Music, 1985. He has been a member of the Jazz Arts faculty at Manhattan School of Music since 1986. He is also on the faculty of SUNY Purchase, is an Artist in Residence at the Amsterdam Conservatory in Holland, and has given master classes around the world.
Andy Harnsberger
Associate Professor of Music and Percussion Coordinator at Lee University in cleveland, tennessee
Praised by Percussive Notes Journal as “A Master of Musical Nuance”, ANDY HARNSBERGER enjoys a versatile career as a performer, composer, and educator. He has performed in musical venues across North America, South America, Australia, Japan, and Europe, and presents numerous solo recitals and clinics throughout the United States each year. He has been a featured artist at the Tamborimba Percussion Festival in Cali, Colombia and the Patagonia Percussion Festival in Argentina, and was on the artist/faculty for the Sulzbach-Rosenberg/Interharmony International Music Festival in Germany in 2014, 2015, and 2017. He has been a featured solo artist at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto Festival. He has also appeared as a guest clinician at many Percussive Arts Society Days of Percussion. His compact disc, “Vertigo,” has been recognized by the Percussive Arts Society as “a must purchase for anyone who collects important marimba recordings...His performance makes it clear that he is a master player, not only technically, but musically as well.”
Dr. Harnsberger is in demand as a recitalist and clinician across the country and internationally, presenting clinics and masterclasses at as many as 40 universities per year. His compositions have been performed at PASIC and around the world and he is a multiple recipient of the ASCAP PLUS award for his contributions to American Concert Music. He has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony and Richmond Ballet Orchestras, Key West Symphony Orchestra, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Macon Symphony Orchestra, Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra, Hilton Head Symphony, Long Bay Symphony, Gainesville Symphony, and Carroll Symphony Orchestra as well as the contemporary music ensemble “Currents”, and has toured extensively as percussionist and xylophone soloist with The Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band. He has also made several guest appearances on National Public Radio, both in interviews, and live performances to bring public awareness to the marimba as a solo instrument.
Andy Harnsberger is Associate Professor of Music and Percussion Coordinator at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. He earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he also received the prestigious Performer's Certificate. Andy has his own signature series mallets with Malletech and is a performing artist and clinician for Malletech Instruments and Mallets, Remo Drum Heads, Sabian Cymbals, Ltd., and Grover Pro Percussion.
Quotes...
“Harnsberger is a clear virtuoso...the recording (“Phoenix”) is superb. The sound quality is phenomenal, with a great sense of space around the performers, and yet everything is heard in miraculous detail. More than a disc for percussionists, this music deserves a wide currency.” - Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine
"Andy Harnsberger is a joy to watch in performance and a feast for the ears. The sensitivity and strength in his live playing was a treasure for the audience...simply phenomenal!" - National Public Radio
"His performance was a vivid demonstration of the power of music...riveting and profoundly artistic." - Washington Post
"Andy plays with precision, power, and finesse. His enthusiasm and passion is evident in every note." - Creative Loafing, Atlanta, GA
“He plays the instrument with a splendid command and dramatic flair...an amazing exhibition of virtuosity." - Falls Church News Press
"His performance makes it clear that he is a master player, not only technically, but musically as well...A master of musical nuance...wonderfully played." - Percussive Notes Journal
"A tremendous display of technique and musicianship." - Percussive Notes Journal
"Andy Harnsberger's artistry on Vertigo is to be admired. This is a MUST HAVE CD for aficionados of the marimba." - John Beck, Professor Emeritus, Eastman School of Music
Shilo Stroman
Performer, Instructor of Percussion and jazz at colorado state university
Shilo Stroman is a musical chameleon determined to fit into any musical situation supported by his wide ranging musical skill set, a laid back attitude and a desire to push himself artistically. His thirst for performing began at the age of 5 when his parents purchased a toy drum set. Armed with his dad’s record collection, an empty basement and chopsticks as drumsticks, the journey began. He continues on this path with a diverse schedule of performing, composing and teaching.
A versatile performer, Mr. Stroman’s credits range from playing triangle in symphony orchestras, electric bass in salsa bands, drums in funk bands and flower pots in chamber groups. Performing Stroman originals, Red Hot Chili Pepper covers and the occasional country tune, Shilo's contemporary jazz quartet, Square Peg released their first recording, “Searching" in 2013. He performed the world premier of James David’s “Scala Enigmatica” for solo vibraphone and symphonic band in 2016. In 2006, he commissioned and performed the world premiere of “Sticks and Stones” variations for drumset and wind ensemble by Jim Bonney. Shilo can also be heard on various Jazz, Rock and singer/songwriter recordings.
As an educator, Shilo is senior instructor of Percussion and Jazz at Colorado State University where he teaches lessons, drumline, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Pedagogy, Jazz History, Percussion Methods, Marching Band Techniques and Jazz Ensemble II. Mr. Stroman is also very active in the marching arts and arranges for several WGI groups and high school marching bands around the country. He is also the former Artistic Director/Front Ensemble Arranger for The Battalion Drum and Bugle Corps.
Shilo's love of travel and sharing his passion for music education has led him to presenting clinics, adjudicating festivals and judging competitions. He has presented clinics at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, state music education conferences, middle schools, high schools and colleges throughout the United States. He has adjudicated at the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival, The Kinser Jazz Festival as well as many smaller Jazz festivals. He also regularly judges marching band and indoor percussion contests around the country.
Shilo is a Yamaha Performing Artist and a proud endorser of Promark, Evans, and Sabian products.
Colin McNutt
Percussion Caption Head for the Boston Crusaders, faculty at University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Returning for the 2024 Utah Day of Percussion, Colin McNutt has instructed and arranged for the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps and the popular stage production Blast! He has also written for and instructed the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps, the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps, Magic of Orlando, and the Madison Scouts.
Colin has served on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he is an alumnus and received degrees in Classics and Music Education.
He was the Percussion Caption Supervisor and then Caption Head for the nine-time DCI World Champion Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps. Currently he is the Caption Head for the Boston Crusaders.
He hasn't only instructed, as McNutt started marching drum corps his junior year in high school in 1988 with the Boston Crusaders of Boston, Mass, then aging out with the Santa Clara Vanguard of Santa Clara, California, in 1992.
McNutt has made a career out of his passion for music and percussion, while in between completing his double major of music education and classics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1998. When not instructing drum corps, McNutt conducts clinics for the percussion companies Avedis Zildjian Co., REMO, Inc., and Vic Firth. He also writes music for marching bands in the United States, Canada, Thailand & Japan.