Alan Fey

A native of central Florida, Alan now calls Nashville home after being raised in Florida, southeast Texas and northeast Tennessee. Alan received his Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees in music from Belmont in 2007 and 2011, respectively. He is currently the Founding and Artistic Director of PULSE [new music ensemble].

As a student at Belmont, Alan studied classical percussion with Dr. Christopher Norton, as well as ethnic percussion and drumset with Todd London. (But don't ask him to play drumset. He's not very good and he'll say no.) While serving time as an undergraduate, Alan spent a year studying at the Carl Maria von Weber Hochschule für Musik in Dresden, Germany with Bernhard Schmidt. As a Master’s student, Dr. Norton got tired of Alan and took a sabbatical, so Alan studied with Nashville Symphony percussionist Richard Graber.

Apart from these percussive pedagogues and performers, Alan has taken lessons and performed in masterclasses and seminars with the following: Leigh Howard Stevens, Michael Burritt, Matthew Duvall, Marta Klimasara, She-e Wu, Anders Åstrand, Bob Becker and Sō Percussion. In the summer of 2011, Alan participated in the first edition of the Chosen Vale International Percussion Seminar, where he worked with Doug Perkins, Matthew Duvall, Michael Burritt, Colin Currie, Daniel Druckman, and performed “Drumming” for legendary composer Steve Reich.

Perhaps his most cherished accomplishment is the commissioning of six new works for percussion (and the self-composition of a seventh), each of which were premiered on his Master’s Recital on April 7, 2011. He has since performed these works at home in Nashville and as far away as New Hampshire. These composers included BU professors Deen Entsminger, Todd London and David Madeira, BU alumni William Ayers and Alan O.W. Barnes, and NE Tennessee composer Evelyn Pursley-Kopitzke. He is currently commissioning pieces for percussion and soprano.

Beyond the classical percussion world, Alan has significant experience in African handdrumming; this includes leading seminars for people of all ages as well as working "hand-in-hand" (horrible pun intended) with the aforementioned Todd London and Ghanaian drummer Daniel Otu.

Alan is a member of the Percussive Arts Society, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda. In his non-musical life, he valets cars at a fancy-shmancy hotel, maintains a mentorship in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, loves driving his Honda Fit (“Elle”), tries to keep up his German fluency, is very involved at Second Presbyterian Church and is planning a wedding with his lovely fiancée, Janet.

Contact Information: