John Dawson is a percussionist, educator, and collaborator currently based in of Rochester, New York.

As an accomplished solo and chamber musician, John has performed on stages in North America, Europe, and Asia. Recent international performances include appearances in the semifinal rounds of both the 8th World Marimba Competition in Hangzhou, China, and the 2024 edition of the TROMP International Percussion Competition in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Additionally, John performed in a showcase concert at the 7th IPEA Competition in Shanghai, China, alongside a small cohort from the Eastman School of Music. Other competitive accomplishments include 1st prize at the 2023 Great Plains International Marimba Competition, 1st prize at the Butler School of Music Brass, Winds, and Percussion Concerto Competition, an appearance in the 1st round of the 7th World Marimba Competition, and an honorable mention in the 2022 Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition.

As an orchestral percussionist, John has performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Finger Lakes Opera, and regularly performs with the Rochester Philharmonic and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras. He appears on the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s recent album, The French in Spain, under the NAXOS label, as well as on Stacy Garrop’s Terra Nostra under Cedille Records as the Principal Percussionist of the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra.

Multifaceted in his teaching, John has crafted instruction at nearly all levels of percussion pedagogy. He is currently on faculty at Nazareth University where he serves as Adjunct Professor of Percussion, teaching applied lessons and courses in percussion methods. He is also the primary percussion instructor at The Hochstein School in Rochester, NY, where he teaches students of all ages and backgrounds in both classical percussion and drumset. John has also appeared as a conductor for the Chamber Percussion Ensemble at the Eastman School of Music and the Nazareth University Percussion Ensemble.

Committed to musical collaboration, John is a member of the award-winning Blacktop Percussion - a group dedicated to commissioning new works and delivering performances for modern audiences. Recent commissions and consortiums with Blacktop Percussion include 70 Years by Shane Roderick and SCINTILLATIONS by Sebastian Zhang. As a solo artist, he is currently organizing a consortium for Chloris, a new work for solo vibraphone from composer Hiroya Miura.

John is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance and Literature with a Minor in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music, where he is also the recipient of the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. He holds a Master of Music in Percussion Performance from the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance with a Minor in Business from the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music.