Jack DiIanni, timpani, for more than four decades, timpanist Jack DiIanni has enjoyed a distinguished and rewarding career as a professional percussionist in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. He currently serves as principal timpanist with The Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra, the Wheeling Symphony, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra. Over the years, Jack has played with a diverse array of musical groups in the Pittsburgh area including the Gateway to Music Percussion Ensemble, the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, the River City Brass Band, and the Pittsburgh Broadway series. He has also had the pleasure of playing with Pittsburgh’s legendary jazz and Dixieland trumpeter Benny Benack, as well as performing with a number of other major artists including Perry Como, Liberace, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti. From 1988 to 1996, he had the distinct honor of sharing his percussion expertise with students as an artist-lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University. In addition to playing locally, Jack has performed at a variety of music festivals across the country including the Western Slope Music Festival in Crested Butte, Colorado, the Blossom Music Festival Band in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Sunflower Music Festival in Topeka, Kansas. He has also performed in Asheville, North Carolina as principal timpanist in the Bravo Concert Series performance of “Wall to Wall Williams: The Music of John Williams.” In January 2011, he participated in the prestigious St. Barts Music Festival on the island of St. Barts. Jack is delighted to be performing with the Virginia Grand Military Band in Arlington, Virginia at the special invitation of conductor Loras Schissel.
Meet the musicians
