Tom Freer
A native of Millbrook, New York, Tom began his percussion and timpani training seriously at age 9 with Jim Atwood, a former student of Cloyd Duff. Up until then Tom had always planned on being a rock drummer because his brothers and sisters discovered he could actually play along to the "Cousin Brucie" show on the radio in time at age 5. Tom got his first drum set immediately after that and then disassembled it when he started studying with Jim Atwood, so he could use the toms as timpani. By age fifteen, he won an audition to become principal percussionist with the Asheville, North Carolina Symphony, and then principal timpanist at age 16. Tom attended the Cleveland Institute of Music where he was accepted as Cloyd Duffs last student before retiring. He continued his timpani and percussion studies there with Mr. Duff’s successor, Cleveland Orchestra timpanist Paul Yancich, and principal percussionist Richard Weiner, until graduating in 1986. While in school, Tom formed a band called Exotic Birds along with now Stabbing Westward drummer Andy Kubiszewski, Pittsburgh Symphony timpanist, Tim Adams and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. This was an original alternative band that toured with Culture Club and opened for many major acts of the time such as The Thompson Twins, Psychedelic Furs, Paul Young, Big Country, Modern English and others.
In 1986 Tom left the rock scene and headed to Stockholm Sweden, to become Principal Percussionist and Assistant Timpanist of the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra. After one year there Tom became principal timpanist for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic for two seasons and then Principal Timpanist of the Alabama Symphony in Birmingham for two seasons. Tom has now been Assistant Principal Timpanist and Section Percussion for the Cleveland Orchestra for seven years. He has recorded and toured with some of the greatest conductors of our time all over the world. Tom can be heard with the Cleveland Orchestra on London/Decca and Deutsche Grammophon records.