Doug Perkins
Doug has commissioned and premiered myriad works from such composers as John Luther Adams,Tristan Perich, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Paul Lansky, Roshanne Etezady, Christian Wolff, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Steve Reich. He founded the percussion quartet So Percussion, the Meehan/ Perkins Duo, and performs regularly with Ensemble Signal. Perkins’ recordings as a performer, conductor, producer, appear on the Bridge, Cantaloupe, Harmonia Mundi, New Focus, New World, and Nonesuch labels. His recording of Tristan Perich’s Drift Multiply made 2020 “Best Of” lists of the New York Times, NPR, PopMatters, and Bandcamp. His most recent recording of John Luther Adams’ Sila: The Breath of the World was nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY for Best Orchestral Performance.
Organizing large-scale outdoor musical events that encourage new ways of experiencing live music has been central to Perkins’ work in the last decade. He brought Iannis Xenakis’ Persephassa to Central Park Lake and the music of John Luther Adams everywhere from Lincoln Center, to the shores of California and the peaks of the Italian Alps. Alex Ross called Perkins’ production of Inukuit at the Park Avenue Armory, “one of the most rapturous listening experiences of my life.” Most recently, Doug directed the premiere of Michael Gordon’s Field of Vision for 36 percussionists in 2022.
Perkins is Associate Professor of Percussion/ Director of Percussion at the University of Michigan. He previously taught at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Dartmouth College.
Doug received his Bachelor’s degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Masters and Artist Diploma degrees from Yale University, and his Doctorate from Stony Brook University. His principal percussion teachers were Jack DiIanni, Jim Culley, and Robert Van Sice.
He performs with Vic Firth Drumsticks and Mallets, Pearl/Adams Musical Instruments, Black Swamp Percussion Accessories, Remo Drumheads, and Zildjian Cymbals.
www.dougperkins.com and @perkoperc on instagram
