Elliot Wallace is a drummer, percussionist, and educator throughout New England and NYC. Highly active as a freelance percussionist, he has a diverse output. Elliot has performed with groups and institutions such as: Apartment Sessions, Powerstation Recording Studio, Ghost Hit Recording Studio, Ivoryton Playhouse, Playhouse on Park, Off Broadway Theater, Schubert Theater, The Fairfield Theater Company, The Yale Alumni Association, Richmond IN Symphony, The Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, 10th Intervention, The New Baroque Soloists, New Britain Symphony, Waterbury Symphony, Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra (HICO), and many others. He was recently a featured xylophone soloist with the Simsbury High School Band. In addition to music theater and classical music, he performs regularly with rock bands and plays frequent jazz and big band gigs. Elliot also holds the position of dance accompanist at the University of Hartford.
Elliot is also well versed in world percussion, studying with conga greats Michael Spiro and John Amira, as well as Brazilian music expert Rogerio Boccato and African percussionist Joe Galeota. In January 2014, Elliot traveled to Ghana to study ewe drumming from master drummer Bernard Woma. Elliot’s primary teachers were Dr. Larry Snider and Benjamin Toth. Elliot is currently the percussion instructor at Simsbury High School, The Loomis Chaffee School, Parkville Sounds, and Southbury Music Studio, as well as professor of percussion at Holyoke Community College and Naugatuck Valley Community College. He also recently (Spring ‘16) served as Sabbatical Replacement for Benjamin Toth at The Hartt School of Music. Elliot holds a Bachelor Degree from the University of Akron and a Master’s Degree from the University of Hartford.
It is my belief that everyone can become an accomplished musician with hard work. I love to challenge and be challenged by my students, and encourage creativity, self-expression, and technical ability on their instrument. Whatever the individual students’ goal may be, I strongly encourage strengthening fundamental concepts in rudiments, rhythm, reading, and harmony. There is no stopping someone who is motivated and willing to put in the time needed to hone their craft!