About Me
I am a percussionist and educator based in the Hudson Valley. My musical interests include performing contemporary chamber music, playing in orchestras, and bridging the gap between learning research and musical practice.
Currently, I serve as adjunct percussion faculty at Bard College’s Conservatory of Music where I work with undergraduate and graduate percussion students on orchestral topics and coach orchesta sectionals. I previously served as a teaching fellow at Bard College’s Conservatory of Music where I taught applied lessons, coached chamber music, and handled administrative duties under the advisement of Eric Cha Beach and Jason Treuting of Sō Percussion. I also am active in a number of chamber music projects, including my percussion quartet BANYAN. BANYAN recently premiered four new works at the Texas New Music Festival and in 2024 we held a residency in Bogotá, Colombia.
As a performer and educator, I value:
encouraging students to develop percussive excellence across a variety of musical contexts, including chamber music, orchestral music, and solo playing.
developing an active presence in my local community and encouraging my students to do the same
developing meaningful long-term collaborations with other performers and with composers
sharing strategies to learn and practice more effectively through the interpretation and application of relevant research from cognitive psychology and neuroscience
I completed my D.M.A. at Arizona State University, studying with Dr. Michael Compitello. My doctoral research focused on the interpretation and application of research-based learning strategies to musical practice and my primary research interest.
Biography
Dr. Tony Kirk is a versatile percussionist active as a performer of orchestral, solo,
and chamber music. As an advocate for new music, Tony cofounded several
active chamber music projects, including the percussion quartet BANYAN and a
duo with violinist Haley Gillia. Recent chamber music projects include the
premiere of Rita Liu’s Convergence for violin and percussion for Joan Tower’s
Lifetime Learning Institute course and the premiere of four new works with
BANYAN at the 2026 Texas New Music Festival. In 2024, BANYAN traveled to
Bogotá, Colombia, for a residency as part of the festival Encuentro Internacional
de Percusión Resonancias: Contempo 30 años.
In addition to his work as a chamber musician, Tony is an active performer of
orchestral music and has appeared with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, The
Orchestra Now, The Phoenix Symphony, and the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra in
Finland. He has performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Asia Society in New York City, and the Fisher
Center, among others. Tony has also toured throughout China to perform staged
productions of Tan Dun’s chamber works, with Tan Dun conducting.
As a guest teaching artist, Tony has taught lessons, coached chamber music,
and given masterclasses at institutions such as Vanderbilt University, Mount
Holyoke College, the Mannes School of Music, and the Universidad Nacional de
Colombia. He is interested in improving the ways musicians approach and think
about practicing. His primary research focuses on evidence-based learning
strategies for musical practice. His doctoral project, “Interpreting and Applying
Research-Based Learning Strategies for Musical Practice,” explored the literature
surrounding effective learning strategies, explained them for musicians, and
demonstrated practical applications for musical practice.
Tony earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Vanderbilt University’s Blair
School of Music, studying with Ji Hye Jung and Lee Vinson; a Master of Music
from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, studying with Svet
Stoyanov, Greg Zuber, Matt Strauss, and Joe Petrasek; and a Doctor of Musical
Arts from Arizona State University, studying with Michael Compitello and Matt
Prendergast. He completed a teaching fellowship at Bard College, where he
worked closely with Jason Treuting and Eric Cha-Beach of So Percussion. Tony
is currently studying the Alexander Technique with Ann Rodiger at the Balance
Arts Center in New York City. He serves on the percussion faculty at Bard
College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
Website: tonykirkpercussion.com
Instagram: tonykirkpercussion
