Tom Freer

Tom Freer is one of the driving forces of today's percussion and timpani performance and education scene. A former student of Jim Atwood and Mario Gaetano, Tom attended the Cleveland Institute of Music studying under greats Cloyd Duff, Paul Yancich, and Richard Weiner.

During his school years he played in the band Exotic Birds with Tim Adams (now Principal Timpanist of the Pittsburgh Symphony), Andy Kubiszewski (Stabbing Westward), and Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails). The band toured with Culture Club and opened for such major acts as The Thompson Twins, Psychedelic Furs, Paul Young, Modern English, and others.

After graduation, Tom was principal percussionist and assistant timpanist of the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, then moved on to become principal timpanist of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic for two seasons, and then principal timpanist of the Alabama Symphony for the following two seasons. In 1991 Tom joined the Cleveland Orchestra as assistant principal timpanist and section percussionist. Along with his position in the Cleveland Orchestra, Tom is a frequent clinician and guest artist, and he is Coordinator of Timpani and Percussion Studies at Cleveland State University.

Tom can be heard on over twenty recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra on the London/Decca and Deutsche Grammophon labels.