John Pennington - Press Kit


Educator, composer, performer, author, producer and conductor, Dr. John Pennington is currently a Professor of Music at Augustana College and is the Artistic Director of the Animas Music Festival in Durango, Colorado. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Arizona, and Arizona State.

Dr. Pennington is an orchestral percussionist, who currently performs with the Music in the Mountains Music Festival. With over thirty recordings to date he has recorded for the Ensemble 21, Summit, Cristo, OCP, and Equilibrium labels.

Recent recording releases include: Lou Harrison, American Gamelan (produced, conducted and performed 2007), Compassionate and Wise (co-produced, composed and performed-2006-Equilibrium Press).

With performances on four continents and over twenty-five states he has performed on Prairie Home Companion and been a featured performer at three Percussive Arts Society International Conventions.

Active as a composer and arranger he has over twenty-five compositions for soloist, duo, chamber and films and dozens of arrangements for numerous instrumental and vocal combinations.

Extensive studies in world music have included experience in African, Middle Eastern, Indonesian, Cuban and the South Indian Karnatak tradition. Recently, Dr. Pennington studied the Northern Hindustani tradition of music in Haridwar and Delhi, India.

 

Dr. John Charles Pennington, Percussionist – Augustana College Department of Music

 

Career Objective

  • A career as an Educator, Composer and Performer of Music.

Education

  • Doctor of Musical Arts: December 1996, Arizona State University; Tempe, Arizona.
  • Master of Music: May 1988, University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, Michigan.
  • Bachelor of Music: August 1986, University of Arizona; Tucson, Arizona.

Experience

  • Professor of Music: Augustana College, 2008-present.
    Responsibilities include: Percussion studio teaching, music theory, percussion methods instruction,
    percussion ensemble and world music.
  • Professor of Music: Fort Lewis College, 1992-2008. Tenured.
    Responsibilities included: Percussion studio teaching, composition, orchestration, percussion methods instruction, percussion ensemble, mallet keyboard ensemble and world music.
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant, Percussion: Arizona State University, J.B. Smith, Professor;
    1988-92 academic years. Responsible for studio teaching of undergraduates.
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant, Theory: Arizona State University, Dr. Rodney Rogers and Dr. James DeMars, professors; 1989-90 academic year.
    Responsible for teaching ear training and sight singing for freshmen and advanced 20th Century theory classes
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant, Percussion: University of Michigan, Dr. Michael Udow, Professor; 1986-87
    and 1987-88 academic years.
    Responsible for studio teaching of undergraduate performance majors, coordination of percussion ensembles, and teaching of secondary education methods classes.

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John Pennington
John Pennington & Cyprian Consiglio