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Rich Holly |
Born: September 9, 1956
Rich Holly has been Professor of Percussion at Northern Illinois University since 1983, and currently holds the position of Dean of the NIU College of Visual and Performing Arts. Rich was the director of the NIU Jazz Camp from 1993-2000, served from 1996-2000 as the Assistant Director of the NIU School of Music, and was Associate Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts from 2001-2008.
He remains active as a solo performer and clinician, having made over 300 appearances at schools, colleges, conventions and festivals throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia.
Rich received his formal training at the State University of New York at Potsdam and East Carolina University. His principal teachers were Henry Gates, Howie Mann, James Petercsak and Harold Jones. He has also studied with Brazilian percussionist Manoel Monteiro, Afro-Cuban drumming with Frank Malabe, and West African drumming with Abraham Adzenyah and Famoudou Konate.
Rich was a founding member of the Abraxas Percussion Group and has performed with the Long Island Holiday Festival Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of New York, and the North Carolina Symphony. For eleven seasons he was timpanist with the Illinois Chamber Symphony. As a drum set artist, Holly has appeared with Allen Vizzuti, John Fedchock, Dave Samuels, Bill Molenhof, Ethel Merman, Red Skelton, Bob McGrath and Sesame Street, and many others. From 1984 to 2000 he played drum set and percussion with Inner City recording artists Rhythmic Union.
Rich’s articles have appeared in almost every major music journal, and from 1986 to 2002 he was Associate Editor for Percussive Notes magazine. His published percussion compositions are sold around the world, and he is a Past President of the Percussive Arts Society. His guest appearances are sponsored in part by Yamaha, Sabian Cymbals, and Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, and he is a member of the Latin Percussion Educational Advisory Board. His popular book, “Majoring in Music – All the Stuff You Need to Know” is available from booksellers world-wide
Email: rholly@niu.edu Website: www.niu.edu/music/about/bios/rholly.shtml