Adam Groh
Graceland University - United States
Overview
Adam Groh, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, is a percussionist with a diverse performing and teaching background. He is currently on the percussion faculty at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX, and is a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Percussion Performance at the University of Texas at Austin. Adam also received a Master's Degree in Percussion Performance from The Florida State University and a Bachelor's Degree in Music from Truman State University. Adam’s primary teachers include: Dr. Thomas Burritt, Dr. John W. Parks IV, Dr. Michael Bump, and Will James of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Adam is an ardent supporter of new solo and chamber music for percussion, and has commissioned and premiered works by composers such as Ian Dicke, Ethan Frederick Greene, Steven Snowden, Eli Fieldsteel, Christopher Cerrone, Brian Nozny, Martin Bresnick, John Serry, and Halim El-Dabh. He recently appeared at the 2012 Bang on a Can Summer Festival at MASS MoCA, the Banff Centre for the Arts, Fast Forward Austin, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, and at the 2011 Electric LaTex Festival of new electroacoustic music. As an active chamber musician, Adam has performed alongside So Percussion, members of the Bang on a Can All-Stars, and with the Austin Chamber Music Center. He was also a featured performer with the Denkyem Percussion Group in the "Promising Artists of the 21st Century" festival hosted by the North American Cultural Center, Costa Rica in the Spring of 2010.
Adam currently serves as the Principal Percussionist of the Round Rock Symphony Orchestra in Round Rock, TX, and is a regular performer with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra in Victoria, TX. Past appearances include performances with the Tallahassee, Chautauqua, and Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestras, and in the fall of 2009 Adam performed in the Ringling International Arts Festival under the baton of Maestro Robert Spano.
Adam has had articles published in Percussive Notes, the official research journal of the Percussive Arts Society and he is the author of the popular percussion blog “The State of Our Art.” He also serves as a Contributing Editor to DrumChattr, an online resource for percussionists, where he contributes a weekly column.
Photo Credits: Keith Lee Studios, Ivan Singer Photography, and Melina Vastola