Brant Roberts is a freelance percussionist and music educator currently living in Champaign, IL where he is finishing his DMA in percussion performance and Literature at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He recently obtained his M.M. in percussion performance from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and holds a B.S. in Music Education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has performed with many orchestras including Sinfonia de Camera, Champaign-Urbana Symphony, Bravura Philharmonic, Garden State Philharmonic, and Danville Symphony Orchestra. 

 

Accompanying modern dance played a large role in his freelance career and he has worked at Rutgers University, The Martha Graham School in NYC, Peridance Center, and The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has also recorded numerous tracks for dancers and written accompaniment for full-length choreography.

 

Roberts is a strong advocate for new music and contemporary performance. He has participated in many commissioning projects and debut performances. In April of 2022, he premiered a new marimba work by Jiwon Hahn written for him. He has participated in the Nief-Norf Contemporary Music Festival multiple times.

 

Roberts has many years of teaching experience both privately and in public school/studio settings. Currently, he has a robust studio of private students and works with groups in Urbana-Champaign. As an educator, Roberts is most valued for his ability to teach any specialty of percussion that students may choose including drum set, classical percussion, hand percussion/non-western percussion, and more.