Dr. Tom Ross

Biography

Native to Wisconsin, Thomas Ross has spent his early career exploring various styles of percussion. Starting with the Western Classical tradition, he became skilled as a marimbist, solo percussionist, and orchestral percussionist. For the past decade, Thomas has dedicated time to studying, performing, and teaching Brazilian percussion. He has presented masterclasses and lectures at multiple universities across the United States and remains an active performer in the Midwest region. Thomas is currently the Musical Director and President of Handphibians Inc., a community-based Samba School in Madison, Wisconsin, and co-founder of Grupo Balança, an ensemble dedicated to performing Brazilian Samba and Pagode. He has studied numerous styles of Afro-Brazilian music in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador Bahia, Brazil. To date, Thomas has performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) and regularly performs with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in percussion performance from Northwestern University and a Master’s Music degree in percussion performance from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He is currently a dissertator for his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin, with principal teachers including Michael J. Burritt, Anthony Di Sanza, Michael Spiro, Maestre Jorge Alabé, Scott Kettner, and Gregory Beyer.

Research Interests