Russell Wharton is a percussionist, composer, and educator living in the Nashville, TN area. As a composer, Russell seeks to use music to capture some of life’s most important feelings: joy, warmth, awe, excitement, forgiveness, catharsis, and humor. His music pays tribute to great wonders and mysteries in our world, natural and manmade, and in the human mind and heart.

Russell has an extensive footprint in the marching arts. He is presently the Battery Coordinator for The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps, where he was a member from 2008-12, and has been on the staff since 2015. In the winter, he teaches the bass drums at Rhythm X. He is also a prolific fall percussion arranger for a predominantly Texas-based clientele.

Russell is an adjunct member of the percussion faculty at Middle Tennessee State University. His music is published by Tapspace Publications, and he enjoys partnerships with Pearl/Adams, Innovative Percussion, Remo, and Zildjian.