“There are a lot of onions on this young man’s cheesesteak...“ —DRUM! Magazine

Spanish Silver Tambourine

Heralded by The Philadelphia Inquirer for his “intense and sometimes far-out live performances,” Sean J. Kennedy is a distinguished artist-teacher, author, and percussionist who serves as Principal Percussionist for the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale (since 2004), drummer for the Doc Severinsen Tribute Band featuring Jay Webb, and a core member of The Gardyn Jazz Orchestra. A multi-faceted musician who moves fluidly between genres, his drumming earned high praise from the late jazz legend Dave Brubeck, who remarked, “Your drumming sounds like it should; it swings!”

Kennedy’s performance résumé includes collaborations with major orchestras such as The Philly POPS! Orchestra, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, The Jacksonville Symphony, The Allentown Band, and The Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. His North American and world tours feature performances with iconic artists including Roger Daltrey and The Who, Lindsey Stirling, Evanescence, Il Volo, Bob Mintzer, Liberty DeVitto, Rocktopia Live, The Strauss Symphony of America, and Jerry Garcia’s Symphonic Celebrations with Warren Haynes. His artistry has brought him to world-renowned stages, including Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Central Park SummerStage, Disneyland, and Walt Disney World, as well as a live television appearance on Good Morning America.

As an educator and scholar, Kennedy holds a Doctor of Arts in Music from William Carey University, as well as a Master of Music in Percussion Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from West Chester University. He serves as Instructor of Instrumental Ensembles and Applied Percussion at Penn State-Abington, Adjunct Professor of Percussion and Jazz at Arcadia University, and maintains instructional leadership roles across Upper Dublin School District, Wissahickon School District, and Gwynedd-Mercy Academy High School.

A prolific author and innovator, Kennedy has published instructional texts with Hudson Music, Alfred Music, and Carl Fischer, holds a Guinness World Record, and presented a 2018 TEDx Talk titled Happy Accidents: Drumming Up Serendipity. He is the leader of The Sean J. Kennedy Quartet and the founder of The Rolling Buzzards Brigade, a groundbreaking ensemble featuring world-leading percussionists and brass players such as Dame Evelyn Glennie, Nitzan Haroz, and Chris Coletti.

Kennedy is active in leadership roles across the percussion community, serving as Secretary of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Pennsylvania Chapter and as a member of the PAS Drum Set Committee. He is a voting member of the Recording Academy (The GRAMMYs), a registered composer, songwriter, and publisher with Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), and a member of the American Federation of Musicians. He proudly endorses Canopus Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads, Grover Pro Percussion, Casio Keyboards, One Beat Better, RimRiserUSA, DrumDial, and The Drum Wallet.