Timpani
Principal
Alan Lawrence
Joined Orchestra: 1988
Education: Bachelor of Music Education, Texas Tech University; Master of Music, University of New Mexico
Hobbies: Record collecting and listening, reading history
Favorite piece(s) of music: Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Janácek’s Glagolitic Mass; Mahler symphonies No. 5, 6 and 7
Alan Lawrence began his musical journey at the age of eleven in Midland, Texas. He discovered classical music through the radio and through recordings from the public library. After making the All-State Band his junior and senior years, Alan was offered a scholarship to attend Texas Tech University, where he had opportunities to perform with the Lubbock and Roswell (NM) Symphony Orchestras. After several years of public school teaching, he accepted a graduate assistantship at the University of New Mexico, where he was able to perform with the New Mexico and Santa Fe Symphony Orchestras, and with the Santa Fe Opera. Since coming to Cedar Rapids, Alan has become Principal Timpanist of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, as well as substituting as timpanist with the Dubuque and Quad Cities orchestras. He also performs as Principal Percussionist with the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band and directs the New Horizons Band of Cedar Rapids, which he founded in 1998. Since 1991, Alan has been Instructor of Percussion at Coe and Cornell Colleges, and also teaches privately. In 1998, Alan met Anita Tucker; they married in May of 2001. Together, they enjoy listening to music, spending time with their dogs, travel and reconnecting with faraway family and friends.