John Shaw
The Florida Orchestra/St. Petersburg College - United States

Overview

JOHN SHAW is the principal percussionist with The Florida Orchestra, which he joined in 1992.  He joined the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in 2008, and has been the festival’s principal percussionist since 2012.  Shaw earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Florida State University, where he studied with Gary Werdesheim, and a Master of Music degree from Temple University as a student of noted Philadelphia Orchestra percussionist Alan Abel. 

Mr. Shaw has been featured as a soloist with The Florida Orchestra many times, performing the Concerto for Percussion by Joseph Schwantner, Concerto for Two Pianos and Percussion by Bela Bartók, and Veni, Veni, Emmanuel by James MacMillan.  His eight-member steel drum band, the Tampa Bay Steel Orchestra, was featured with The Florida Orchestra in both March 2005 and October 2009 as part of the orchestra’s pops series.  He recently performed Tan Dun’s Water Concerto with TFO in April 2014.

Mr. Shaw has been the head of the percussion studio at St. Petersburg College since 1996, directing the Percussion Ensemble and Steel Drum Band as well as teaching applied lessons.

Additionally, Mr. Shaw is the principal percussionist with Opera Tampa and St. Petersburg Opera.  Over the years, he has performed with such artists as Idina Menzel, Andrea Bocelli, Joe Piscopo, Perry Como, Rich Little, Roger Williams, Marvin Hamlisch, and Frank Sinatra, Jr.  He recently performed for the Broadway productions of White Christmas and Anything Goes.

Shaw currently serves as vice-president of the Florida chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, and presented masterclasses on orchestral percussion at the society’s 2010 and 2013 International Convention.  He is an artist for Zildjian, Pearl/Adams and Freer Percussion.  He lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Florida Orchestra and Eastern Music Festival principal harpist Anna Kate Mackle.