Duncan Patton has been a Principal Timpanist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1984. In addition to performances at New York's Lincoln Center, Mr. Patton has performed with the MET Orchestra on tour in Europe, Japan, across the U.S., and in New York's Carnegie Hall. He can be heard on radio, television, and HD live movie broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera, as well as on recordings on Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, and Decca. He has also performed or recorded with the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Lukes, the Met Chamber Ensemble, the Metropolitan Opera Brass, the Percussionists of the Metropolitan Opera, the Canadian Brass, and in a duo with marimbist Mayumi Sekizawa, among others. He is a Co-Chair of the percussion department at the Manhattan School of Music, where many of his students have gone on to positions with major orchestras and other prominent ensembles. He has presented masterclasses at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Oberlin Percussion Institute, the International Week of Percussion in Mexico City, and the Tokyo College of Music. His articles on timpani performance have been published in Percussive Notes magazine. He is also a composer of works for percussion, often exploring the use of timpani in solo or chamber music settings. His works are published by Bachovich Music Publications.

Prior to joining the Met he served as principal timpanist of the Honolulu Symphony and performed with the Colorado Philharmonic and the Albany Symphony. An Albany, New York, native, he is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, and was a student of Richard Albagli, Roland Kohloff, and John Beck.