Daniel Kirkpatrick holds a Master of Music in Percussion Performance, with honors, with a focus in Timpani from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, and Bachelor of Music Performance in Percussion Performance, cum laude, from the University of North Texas College of Music. Daniel is the Principal Timpanist of the Augusta Symphony Orchestra in Augusta, GA. He currently does professional studies with Dean Borghesani, Principal Timpanist of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Daniel is an active teacher and performer in Milwaukee, WI. He is on the percussion faculty at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, a position he has held since August 2008. He regularly gives clinics in classical percussion, timpani and drum line to local schools and performs with several musical groups in the area. While pursuing his MM at UWM, Daniel was the manager and assistant director of the UWM Basketball band, "Panther Band." The group played at all home basketball games for the men's and women's teams, as well as traveling to games for post season.

While at UNT, Mr. Kirkpatrick earned a minor in Music Theory and was awarded the “Outstanding Undergraduate in Percussion of the Year” in 2006 in addition to the Jack Rumbley Percussion Scholarship. He was also awarded the 2006 Cloyd Duff Master Class Family Scholarship to attend the summer timpani master class. While still an undergraduate, he performed as a regular member of the graduate percussion ensemble under the direction of Mark Ford. He was also principal timpanist of the UNT Symphony and Chamber orchestras under the batons of Maestros Anshel Brusilow and Dr. Clay Couturiaux. Mr. Kirkpatrick was a marimba student of Mark Ford and timpani student of Christopher Deane.

Mr. Kirkpatrick began making timpani mallets for himself and fellow students his freshman year at UNT, eventually taking the business to the internet and has been producing quality timpani and bass drum mallets with carbon fiber shafts for students and professionals since 2004 under the name DK Percussion. He also started offering percussion instrument repair through DK Percussion and receives many monthly visits to his web site documenting his past repair and building projects. Recently, DK Percussion has started to grow its manufacturing capabilities and Daniel plans to market a chain timpani mechanism he designed in addition to custom timpani mallets.

Mr. Kirkpatrick has held many teaching positions, including six years as a counselor and three years as a music theory instructor at the McDaniel College Summer Music Camp in Westminster, MD. He has taught in the Frisco, Texas school district as a private lessons teacher and percussion assistant for Liberty High School and Fowler Middle school, two award-winning programs.

As a performer, Daniel Kirkpatrick has played percussion or drum set for over 30 musical productions, ranging from high schools to professional theatre ensembles. He hopes to continue performing and someday win an full time orchestral timpani position with a symphony orchestra. He will continue to grow his mallet making and repair business, while teaching in the community.

Publications

"Goodman Versus Duff - A Comparison of Two 20th-Century Timpanists." Percussive Notes - The journal of the Percussive Arts Society
Vol. 47, No. 2, (April, 2009). (http://www.pas.org)

"Project: Frank(enstein) - Making a 23in Extended Collar Timpani with a 25in Slingerland Timpani's Frame." DK Percussion
(http://www.dkpercussion.com/frank)

Inclusions in "Web Threads." Percussive Notes - The journal of the Percussive Arts Society. (http://www.pas.org)
          Vol. 42, No. 1, February 2005
          Vol. 45, No. 3, June 2007
          Vol. 45, No. 6, December 2007
          Vol. 46, No. 6, December 2008