Brian Jones
Brian Jones has been principal timpanist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 2011. Prior to his appointment, he served as principal timpanist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Jones has been a guest principal timpanist and/or percussionist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival Orchestra and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra.
He has premiered timpani concerti with the University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble, the Boulder Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony and the Dallas Symphony. He has also premiered and/or recorded solo percussion works with the New World Symphony (where he was a concerto prize winner), as well as chamber works with New Music Detroit, the Percussion Quartet from Tanglewood, the SouthBeat Percussion
Ensemble, the Atmos Percussion Ensemble and the Empire Brass Quintet.
Jones currently serves as adjunct associate professor at SMU. Previously, he was adjunct associate professor of percussion at The University of Michigan for 10 years, teaching two sections of orchestral repertoire as well as maintaining a private studio. His former students currently occupy positions in leading orchestras and universities around the world. He was a featured clinician at the 2004 and 2016 Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, and has given presentations and masterclasses throughout the United States, Korea and Japan.
As an undergraduate at the University of North Texas, Jones was a member of the Grammy-nominated University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band on both drum set and bass trombone in consecutive semesters, and a Jack DeJohnette drum set solo he transcribed was published internationally by the Percussive Arts Society. After earning his master’s degree as a full fellowship student and garnering a Performer’s Certificate at Indiana University, Jones completed his schooling with a Professional Studies Certificate at Temple University under the tutelage of Alan Abel.
