Have Drums, Will Travel!

 

Have Drums, Will Travel!

At the Concertgebouw

At the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, 1996

Welcome to Kettledrummer.com! This is the personal website of yours truly, Andrew P. Simco. With over forty-five years of experience as a timpanist, percussionist, educator, and clinician, I have had a lot of fun during my career. Having performed with many fine ensembles such as the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra, the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, the Elmhurst and Elgin Symphony Orchestras as well as the Lake George Opera and the Des Moines Metro Opera Festival, and since 2016 with the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra, I have indeed been very fortunate. Note the subtitle. This is an affectionate tip of the hat to an old TV western that starred the actor Richard Boone, called “Have Gun, Will Travel.” Having been freelancing and hauling timpani from one gig to another over the nineteen years, I kind of feel like the character Paladin from that show.
This website is designed not only to let you know who I am and what I have done and am currently up to but to talk about the timpani and related matters. It is an exciting profession, and I am still having a blast after all these years. The site will be built around a series of blog posts – and I hope that as they are posted that you will read and enjoy them.

My Musical Career | Part Seventy-Four

The DMMO Years The 2010 Summer Season A Time of Transition The 2010 summer season was a time of transition for the company. It was this season that Dr. Robert L. Larsen began transitioning out of active leadership of the company, which he co-founded with the late Douglas Duncan in 1973. Up to and including …

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My Musical Career | Part Seventy-Three

The DMMO Years The 2009 Summer Season The 2009 summer season was one of the most interesting and at the same time, one of the most poignant of my tenure with the orchestra. Most interesting because of the repertoire, which included three operas, but what three operas! First out of the gate was Puccini’s “Tosca“, …

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Blank Performing Arts Center

My Musical Career|Part Seventy-Two

The DMMO Years The 2008 Summer Festival The 2008 Summer Festival season marked my tenth year and eleventh season as a member of the orchestra. All I could think of at the time was the usual, “My! How time flies!” It does indeed, especially when one is having as much fun as I did.With the …

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Blank Performing Arts Center

My Musical Career| Part Seventy-One

The DMMO Years The 2007 Summer Season In many ways, the 2007 summer season of the Des Moines Metro Opera Festival was one of the most memorable. In terms of repertoire, this was a power-packed season. There were three mainstage productions, as was the norm for this period in the company’s development, plus the Artist’s …

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