Don Liuzzi, percussion &
Friends

Don Liuzzi was born and raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and completed high school in Philadelphia at the Franklin Learning Center. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan and his Master of Music degree from Temple University. His primary teachers were Alan Abel, Charles Owen, and John Soroka.

Before joining The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1989, Mr. Liuzzi was a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony percussion section from 1982 to 1989. While in Pittsburgh he taught percussion and conducted the percussion ensemble at Duquesne University, was assistant conductor of the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra, and appeared on PBS’ nationally syndicated Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, performing marimba and percussion solos.

Beyond his over 60 commercial recordings as principal timpani of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Liuzzi can be heard on several Decca releases with Seiji Ozawa’s Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra, with which he has been a guest timpanist for five seasons. As a former percussionist with the Network for New Music, and also for area composers, he has recorded contemporary chamber works for the CRI, Crystal, and Albany labels. His percussion solo and chamber CD release from 2012, Movement in Time (Equilibrium), is volume I of the Philadelphia Percussion Project. This first volume features music by Maurice Wright, Maurice Rissman, and William Kraft. Volume II, Zones, was released in May 2015 and is a Philadelphia Orchestra percussion group (POPG) recording featuring Jennifer Higdon’s Zones, as well as six other world premiere recordings including his own composition, Seoul Spirit. A participating musician in the documentary film Music from the Inside Out (2005), Mr. Liuzzi also served as the film’s coordinating producer and was integral in helping develop the accompanying middle school teaching curriculum published by Alfred Books. The feature length film by Anker Productions, which features The Philadelphia Orchestra, was re-released digitally on iTunes in June 2013 and is also available on Netflix. Mr. Liuzzi’s other electronic media activity (under his company name of Beat the Drum Entertainment, Inc.) has included two other CD projects with the DePue Brothers Band: performing drums and singing, and executive producing Weapons of Grass Construction and their latest album, When It’s Christmas Time, released in December 2013.

Mr. Liuzzi has given master classes at most major music schools throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Korea, Japan, and China. He has been a percussion and timpani coach at the National Orchestral Institute, the New World Symphony, the Pacific Music Festival, the Canton International Summer Music Academy, the Lindenbaum Music Festival (in Korea), the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, and the National Youth Orchestra USA run by Carnegie Hall. He joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in January 1994. He has also held faculty positions at Rowan University and guest faculty status at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Liuzzi just completed 10 years as music director of the Philadelphia All City High School Orchestra, and is founding conductor of the Curtis Institute’s 20-21 New Music Ensemble.

Mr. Liuzzi’s early orchestral experience included the Flint Symphony, the Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra, and the Colorado Philharmonic. He has also played in the Spoleto Festival Orchestra for three seasons and was a Tanglewood Fellow in 1980. In July 1996 he made his solo debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, and his subscription solo debut in January 1998. Having consulted with Yamaha for over 15 years on the development of professional timpani, he is now a Yamaha performing artist, with a highly-regarded YouTube solo appearance and interview through his Yamaha affiliation. He is married with two adult daughters.

Yumi Kendall is a distinguished cellist, classical music ambassador, and changemaker, whose voice and vision are paving the way for future generations.

Since 2004 Ms. Kendall has been a dedicated and deeply active member of The Philadelphia Orchestra as assistant principal cello. She won the position at age 22, during her final year of studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she now serves on the cello performance faculty. Over the past two decades, as a performer and pedagogue, she has inspired, informed, and connected countless people as a passionate proponent of classical music. More recently, as a speaker, podcaster, and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) degree program, she has catalyzed conversations to help people and organizations thrive.

Ms. Kendall discovered the joy and connective power of music at a young age. She began studying cello at age five following the Suzuki approach; in fact, her grandfather was violinist and pedagogue John Kendall, known for introducing Suzuki education to the United States and training teachers from around the world. Together with her violinist brother, Nick Kendall—a member of the GRAMMY®- and Emmy-winning ensemble Time for Three—her childhood was steeped in delightful music-making experiences. The energy of her early Suzuki days remains an ongoing source of inspiration as she continues her journey as a performer and educator. She is forever thankful to her mentors along the way, including John Kendall, Nancy Hair, Carol Tarr, Alice Vierra, David Hardy, David Soyer, and Peter Wiley.

As an orchestral and chamber musician, Ms. Kendall has played on many of the world’s prominent stages, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Kimmel Center, Suntory Hall, and Vienna’s Musikverein. She has performed with the Marlboro Festival and its tours, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and has been featured as a soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2013 she was selected by Philadelphia Orchestra Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin to receive the Orchestra’s C. Hartman Kuhn Award—given to “the member of The Philadelphia Orchestra who has shown ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the standards and the reputation of The Philadelphia Orchestra.” In 2022 supporters Elaine Woo Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr., established a Philadelphia Orchestra Chair in Ms. Kendall’s name and endowed it in perpetuity.

Ms. Kendall discovered a complementary career calling in 2011, after The Philadelphia Orchestra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Eager to increase her knowledge and personal agency, she began investigating how other organizations grow and evolve in the face of struggle. Her quest led to earning a master’s degree at Penn’s MAPP program—the first in the world focused on the scientific study of the strengths that enable humans and organizations to flourish.

Since graduating from MAPP in 2017, Ms. Kendall has appeared as a guest presenter and facilitator at conferences, retreats, and other events across various professional fields. By bridging music and positive psychology (and often bringing her cello), she offers a uniquely engaging perspective on topics such as intrinsic motivation, cultivating meaning at work, and social connections. Captivating as both a cellist and speaker, she is known for her authenticity, ebullience, and approachable style in communicating about classical music.

Exemplifying her role as a changemaker, in 2023 Ms. Kendall launched the podcast Tacet No More with her longtime friend, Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Bass Joseph Conyers. Their podcast raises provocative yet optimistic inquiries intended to shake up the status quo and reimagine the next era of classical music. To date, the podcast has featured an array of pioneering guests from across sectors. To tune in, visit www.tacetnomore.com.