About Dr. Brian Graiser
Dr. Brian Graiser is a contemporary percussionist, composer, and teacher, and was recently appointed as the Artist/Instructor of Percussion at Arkansas State University following six years as the Lecturer of Percussion at Sam Houston State University. While his musical exploits are highly diverse, he is best known as an advocate for the vibraphone, highlighted by such efforts as his DMA Project “Concerto No. 1 [Lulu]: Creating the World’s First Concerto for the Four-Octave Vibraphone,” numerous compositions and commissions for the instrument, and his service as President of Vibraphone Project, Inc. (www.thevibraphoneproject.org), a 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit organization comprising dozens of vibraphonists from around the world who are dedicated to celebrating the instrument’s past and igniting its future through performance and educational events, commissioning projects, research initiatives, and more.
Brian’s activities have taken him up and down the U.S., Canada, Panama, France, Italy, China, and Australia, with recent highlights including a research presentation at DUSZK (University of Szeged, Hungary) and solo/chamber performances at the APERIO—Music of the Americas Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Festival Alfredo Saint Malo (Panama), and the American Harp Society Summer Institute.
Brian earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in percussion performance at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, with prior degrees in performance and composition from the University of Toronto and the University of Georgia. He is an endorser of Dream Cymbals and Gongs, Salyers Percussion, and Black Swamp Percussion, and is also the proud owner of a DeMorrow Instruments four-octave vibraphone. His compositions are available through Alfonce Productions, Keyboard Percussion Publications, Media Press Inc., Smith Publications, and self-publication. Brian currently lives in Huntsville, TX with his wife Alaina (with whom he regularly tours and performs as the REFLECT harp+percussion duo), their sons William and Jonathan, and their two rabbits.
