BRAD DAVIS

Brad Davis is the Principal Timpanist of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since fall of 2019. Prior to joining the HSO, Brad was Section Percussionist with the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra and Associate Timpanist with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Comfortable in a wide variety of performance settings, Brad has performed with diverse ensembles throughout the country. He has been Guest Principal Timpanist with the Detroit Symphony, National Symphony (U.S.A), National Arts Centre Orchestra (Canada), Utah Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, and Terre Haute Symphony, and performed as Principal Timpanist with the Orchestra of the Americas during the 2018 European Tour. In addition, Brad has performed as a percussionist with groups including the Louisville Orchestra, Tucson Symphony, Royal Hawaiian Band, and the Smithsonian 21st Century Consort. He has been featured as a soloist with the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra, performing Michael Daugherty’s Raise the Roof to open the HSO’s 2022-23 Masterworks Season.

A passionate educator, Brad has served as Lecturer of Percussion at the University of Hawai’i, Mānoa since 2021. He has taught percussion at many public and private schools throughout Hawai’i, Washington D.C., Maryland, Kentucky, and Indiana to students of all ages. Brad is an active educator in Hawai’i, working regularly with organizations such as the Hawai’i Youth Symphony and Niu Valley Music Olympics. He regularly presents masterclasses at colleges and universities throughout the country.

Brad has worked under the baton of world class conductors including Osmo Vänskä, John Storgårds, Thierry Fischer, Alexander Shelley, Giancarlo Guerrero, JoAnn Falletta, Michael Stern, Thomas Wilkins, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Krzysztof Penderecki, Ton Koopman, and Carl St. Clair. He can be heard on multiple recordings through NAXOS, Decca Gold, and Linn Records.

Before moving to Honolulu, Brad was a Performer Diploma student at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with John Tafoya. Prior to that he received a Master of Music Degree from the University of Maryland under Jauvon Gilliam. Brad holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in Percussion Performance and Music Education from the University of Kentucky, where he studied with James B. Campbell. Additional teachers include Tom Freer, Jeremy Epp, Dean Borghesani, Eric Shin, William Shaltis, and Scott Dallas. Brad proudly endorses Remo Drumheads.