Percussionist, John Corkill, is a passionate advocate for the development, process, and creation of new artistic works that provide accessibility to the public at large. He is currently serving as the percussionist for the University of Chicago’s Grossman Ensemble, an ensemble-in-residence at the University’s Center for Contemporary Composition. Recently, John has joined Clocks in Motion, a percussion quartet dedicated to building upon the body of percussion repertoire through commissioning and workshopping new chamber percussion works.
In similar capacities, he has collaborated with groups such as Third Coast Percussion, Eighth Blackbird, and Ensemble Dal Niente. He has also appeared on the Chicago Symphony’s MusicNOW Series as well as the Chamber Music Northwest, Norfolk, and Yellow Barn Festivals. Recently, John finished his tenure as the curator for Fulcrum Point New Music Projects’s Discoveries and Aux In concert series that promote meaningful conversations and inquiry between composers, performers, and listeners.
Originally trained in the realm of orchestral percussion, John has performed with ensembles such as the Milwaukee Symphony, Elgin Symphony, and NOVUS Orchestra. He has also had the privilege of working with many of today’s leading musicians including conductors Marin Alsop, Peter Oundjian, Matthias Pintscher, and Reinbert de Leeuw; composers, Krzysztof Penderecki, Oliver Knussen, David Lang, Augusta Read Thomas, Aaron Jay Kernis, Sam Pluta, Christopher Cerrone, Samuel Adams, and Seung-Won Oh.
In conjunction with co-artistic director, Alex Monroe, John formed the ensemble beyond this point, whose mission aims to collaborate in multidisciplinary artistic approaches with a focus to address social change. The group has been nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for their work creating a completely original and acoustic sound sculpture for Chicago’s Artistic Home storefront theater. Similarly, they have received cultural grants from the City of Chicago for providing free performances within and around Chicago’s public transit stations.
John currently serves as the Lecturer of Percussion at the University of Chicago as well as the Percussion Ensemble Director at Loyola University. John received his Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University where he graduated cum laude and Master of Music Degree from the Yale University School of Music. His teachers include Robert van Sice, Michael Burritt, and James Ross.
