Joseph Pereira (1974) enjoys a multi-faceted career as a timpanist/percussionist, composer, conductor, and teacher. His work in all areas has been widely hailed for his creativity and virtuosity, and has been profiled in feature articles in both The New York Times (2006) and The LA Times in 2012 and 2015. In 2015 Pereira was featured on the PBS series, “Craft in America”.
As a composer, Pereira’s music has been described as “restless yet lucidly textured” (The New York Times), “striking atmospherics of colour” (The Guardian), and “one sonic surprise after another” (The Los Angeles Times). His works have been commissioned and performed worldwide, most notably by the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel, the Singapore Symphony, the New York Philharmonic Chamber Series, the Miro Quartet, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, percussionist Colin Currie, French Ensemble TM+, and the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet. He currently has a commission from the LA Phil for the 24/25 season. Pereira’s works are published by Bachovich Music in the US and Black Dot Press in the UK.
Pereira has been the Principal Timpanist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2008. As a versatile performer, he regularly appears as a solo percussionist in the LA Phil’s “Green Umbrella” new music series, and has also conducted his music and other world premieres on the orchestra’s chamber series. In Los Angeles, he also can be found in the recording studios and can be heard on many major motion pictures. Previously Pereira was a member of the New York Philharmonic, from 1997 to 2008, as a timpanist and percussionist. His line of signature timpani mallets by JGPercussion are sold worldwide.
Joseph runs the percussion studio at the Thornton School of Music at USC and is also on the faculty of the Music Academy of the West, and the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. He was previously on faculty at the Juilliard School from 2005-2013.
