TIMOTHY ADAMS JR. is the Mildred Goodrum Heyward Professor at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, where he was named Chair of Percussion in Fall 2010. Prior to this, Mr. Adams performed as Principal Timpanist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for fifteen years while teaching as Professor of Music at Carnegie Mellon University. 

Adams received both his Bachelors and Masters degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music under Cloyd Duff, Richard Weiner, and Paul Yancich of the Cleveland Orchestra. He has held Percussion and Principal Timpanist positions with the Canton Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, and others.

Mr. Adams has performed under the batons of Lorin Maazel, Pierre Boulez, Manfred Honeck, Sir André Previn, Christoph von Dohnanyi, and many others. Adams has performed alongside Luciano Pavarotti, Jessye Norman, Andre Watts, Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Emanuel Ax, Lynn Harrell, Lang Lang, Midori, Pinchas Zukerman, Patti Austin, Chaka Kahn, Arturo Sandoval, Bobby McFerrin, Terence Blanchard, Dave Brubeck, Marcus Roberts, Burt Bacharach, and more.

His educational DVD, entitled Lift, is a culmination of his tireless commitment to educating our future and current educators on how to effectively teach the entire battery of percussion instruments.