About the Artist/Ensemble
Tom Teasley is an award-winning composer, sound designer, and multi-instrumentalist whose work spans solo percussion, live film soundtracks, immersive installations, and audio-visual art. Described by The Washington Post as “a musical wizard and multi-instrumental genius,” he is known for his genre-defying fusion of global musical traditions with cutting-edge technology, creating deeply engaging sonic experiences that expand the expressive possibilities of solo percussion.
His work draws inspiration from Middle Eastern frame drumming, West African rhythmic traditions, Indian tala cycles, jazz improvisation, and contemporary electronic textures. Through performance and pedagogy, he integrates these influences into a practice grounded in respect, curiosity, and innovation.
Tom has traveled the world as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. Department of State, receiving five Fulbright-Hays Awards and presenting historic performances in Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem, Oman, Bahrain, and many other regions. He has also toured extensively throughout Europe and South America. These international experiences profoundly inform his global perspective in both teaching and performance.
In addition to his concert work, Tom has built a prolific career as a composer and performer for theater, earning three Helen Hayes Awards for sound design and theatrical production. He was also named World Percussionist of the Year by Drum! Magazine in recognition of his artistic excellence and influence.
Tom has released multiple albums and EPs, available on major streaming platforms and CD, and authored An American Approach to World Percussion, a book and companion DVD documenting his hybrid Western and world percussion teaching methods through practical examples and exercises
Tom’s workshops are highly interactive, emphasizing hands-on exploration and improvisation. His performances actively engage audiences through spoken context, talkbacks, and shared insights from his travels, research, and creative process. Whether in a concert hall, classroom, or sacred space, he seeks to ignite the imagination and invite deeper listening, connection, and creative discovery.
Concert/Performance Description
Solo Concert: Modern Percussion from Ancient Traditions (Fees start at $1000)
An exhilarating solo concert blending global rhythms with cutting-edge percussion techniques, this performance takes audiences on a dynamic musical journey across cultures and time. Traveling the Silk Road from Italy to China and the Sugar Trade Route from Africa to the Americas, listeners experience how rhythm has moved and evolved across continents.
Ancient instruments such as the balafon, doumbek, djembe, kalimba, and frame drums are combined with music technology, including digital looping, creating layered textures and contemporary soundscapes.
Each instrument is thoughtfully introduced, linking its cultural roots to the music being performed. Rather than lecture, storytelling and context are integrated naturally into the concert, inviting audiences into a vibrant, borderless musical experience grounded in improvisation, tradition, and innovation.
The Art of The Duo: Celtic Fire (Fees start at $1500)
Part of an evolving series dedicated to exploring the creative possibilities of two artists in conversation, Tom Teasley and Celtic Fiddler Chelle Fulk unite for an electrifying program of world percussion traditions and Celtic Music. The resonant, bell-like tones of the hand pan, warmth and lift of the Celtic fiddle, create a sound world that feels both ancient and contemporary. Subtle digital looping and selective electronic textures expand the sonic palette while keeping acoustic instruments at the center.
Completely improvised, the result is spontaneous, genre-transcending, and deeply human.
Whether presented in concert halls, festivals, or intimate settings, every performance becomes a conversation that transcends cultural boundaries.
Biorhythms: Interactive Rhythmic and Sound Attunement (Fees start at $800)
Immerse yourself in a transformative, interactive, sound-healing experience. For centuries, drums and repetitive rhythm have been used across cultures to support focus, reflection, and restoration. This session builds on those traditions to encourage nervous system regulation and a sense of balance and renewal.
Global percussion, overtone-rich instruments, and meditative vibrations are woven into an evolving soundscape designed to foster well-being. The experience flows from deep listening into gentle movement and optional sound participation, engaging body, mind, and spirit.
Filmscore: Live Compositions to Classic Cinema (Fees start at $1000)
Step into an immersive world where live music and classic film converge. Silent cinema transforms into a vibrant sensory journey shaped by world percussion, electro-jazz, and global rhythms. The result is a syncopated, rhythm-driven dialogue between music and image, highlighting the deep kinship between early cinema and improvisational sound. Themes range from American physical comedy and jazz to German Expressionism and music technology.
Featured films include:
- The Immigrant, The Adventurer, The Cure, The Fireman (Charlie Chaplin)
- Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton)
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene)
- The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Lotte Reiniger)
- Metropolis (Fritz Lang)
- Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau)
Each performance concludes with a talkback, offering audiences insight into the creative process.
Ideal for art galleries, movie houses, concert venues, museums and educational institutions.
Recorded versions of these films with Tom’s performance embedded are also available for screening as part of lecture presentations, educational programs, or exhibitions.
Sounds You Can See (Fees starting at $1000)
Blending avant-garde works by Hans Richter and Man Ray with audio compositions, Sounds You Can See transforms spaces into living soundscapes. Tom’s music is tightly choreographed with abstract visuals, creating a unique form of visual music in which sonic gestures are mirrored in shifting imagery, and the boundaries between what we hear and see dissolve.
Inspired by movement, rhythm, and global cultural influences—and drawing on Dadaism, experimental film, and his own live performances, these works explore the dynamic interplay between sound and image.
These site-specific installations are deeply atmospheric and ideal for galleries, performance art spaces, or any setting that celebrates multi-sensory exploration.
Technical Requirements
Appropriate stage lighting, electrical outlet(s). Artist can supply sound. For film screening appropriate equipment required.