|
John Hirst
John Hirst was born in Hexham, Northumberland and started playing the drums aged 3. He started lessons at 6, and was soon playing drum set and percussion in ensembles within the county.
During this time he was the featured soloist in Joseph Schwantner's 'Concerto for Percusion and Orchestra' and received the Boosey & Hawkes 'Outstanding Instrumentalist Award' in 1999.
In 2002, John won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. There he played with the likes of Joe Lovano and Jerry Bergonzi, and studied privately with Mike Mangini and Mark Walker (Oregon, Paquito d'Riviera). He graduated with a degree in Contemporary Writing and Production in 2006 and has since returned to the North of England, where he teaches, plays and composes.
He also plays the piano (not too badly), sings (not too well) and plays the guitar (very, very badly).
In 2007, John won the Mapex 'Drummer Of Tomorrow' UK final and will be competing in the GROOVE category at the International final at Frankfurt Music Messe 2008.
|
