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John McNeill

John McNeill
John McNeill

Instrument: Percussion

With the RPO since: 1971

My earliest musical memory is pulling pots and pans out of the kitchen cupboard and playing them with a wooden spoon when I was 3 or 4 years old. I guess I was destined to be a percussionist at a very early age!

Most influential teachers: Raymond Redhead, Carl Dengler and John Beck. I was fortunate to study privately with John Beck while a student at the Eastman School of Music, and for the past 25 years I've learned from him as a member of the RPO percussion section.

What do you most enjoy about performing? Bringing the joy of music to an audience, whether it's an elementary school classroom or a sold-out house at Carnegie Hall.

What is your favorite part of being a member of the RPO? Being a member of an outstanding world class orchestra such as the RPO is truly an honor and a privilege. 

Biography

Well-known as a percussion teacher and performing musician, John McNeill is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with John Beck, and the Wesleyan University World Music Program. With the RPO since 1971, he has also performed with such conductors and artists as Aaron Copland, David Zinman, Arthur Fiedler, Henry Mancini, Doc Severinsen, Dizzy Gillespie, Canadian Brass and the Moody Blues. He has been an adjunct faculty member of both Roberts Wesleyan College and the State University of New York at Oswego.

 

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