Anthony J. Cirone

Anthony J. Cirone received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from The Juilliard School, studying with the famous solo timpanist of the New York Philharmonic, Saul Goodman.  Upon graduation in 1965, he was offered the position of Percussionist with the San Francisco Symphony under Maestro Josef Krips and an Assistant Professorship of Music at San José State University.  During his 36-year tenure with the Symphony, Mr. Cirone has also performed under the Musical Directorship of Seiji Ozawa, Edo DeWaart, Herbert Blomstedt, and Michael Tilson Thomas and noted guest conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Eugene Ormandy, Kurt Mazur, Rafael Kubelik, and James Levine.

Mr. Cirone has also held the position of Professor of Music at San José State University and Chairman of the Percussion Department from 1965 to 2001.  He conducted the Percussion Ensemble, taught Fundamental Literature and Techniques, Percussion Pedagogy, and Notation Computer Music Typography classes.  Mr. Cirone has also been on the faculties of San Francisco State University and Stanford University.  He was also a Professor of Music and Chairman of the Percussion Department in the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.  His students have gone on to hold positions in major orchestras and universities throughout the world.

Anthony Cirone, a prolific composer, has over 100 published titles, including textbooks, a music dictionary, a comprehensive text on symphony orchestras, symphonies for percussion, sonatas, a string quartet, and works for orchestra and concert band.  He was the Percussion Consultant/Editor for Warner Bros. Publishing Co., and the author of Portraits in Rhythm (a collection of 50 studies for snare drum).  His Portraits in Rhythm (50 Studies for Snare Drum) is recognized worldwide as a standard text for training percussionists.  Mr. Cirone is also featured in a video, entitled, “Concert Percussion – A Performer’s Guide”, distributed by Warner Bros. Publishing Company.  Cirone is presently Executive Editor Percussion Publications with Meredith Music Publications.  He is the designer of two pairs of Signature Snare Drum Sticks for the Avedis Zildjian Cymbal Company.  He won the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s Poll for five consecutive years for Classical Percussionist and was subsequently elected to their Hall of Fame.   Mr. Cirone is a clinician for The Yamaha Corporation, the Avedis Zildjian Cymbal Company and the Remo Drum Company.  He received a Special Distinction Award in 1999 from the ASCAP Rudolf Nissim Composition Contest for his work for full orchestra, entitled: PENTADIC STRIATIONS.

Mr. Cirone was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame on November 2, 2007.