Timpani

Timothy Jepson began playing timpani in the seventh grade. At 47, he has no plans to stop.

“I am proud to say that I’m a product of public school music education,” he says. “I began snare drum in the fifth grade and studied all of the percussion instruments as a percussion major in college.”

Jepson now plays timpani for the Kansas City Symphony. Timpani are the large drums in the back of the orchestra. They are a pitched instrument that plays notes in the base clef like the tuba.

“I was guided towards the timpani because my junior high teacher knew I had a very good ear and would do a good job hearing the pitch and play in tune,” Jepson says. “It soon became the instrument I played most because of my good pitch.”

Although the timpani can require a lot of maintenance, Jepson loves the sound they produce.

“I love that the timpani play such an important role in the balance, rhythmic drive, color/timbre, and excitement and/or subtleties of the orchestra’s performance,” he says.

Jepson joined the Kansas City Symphony at the age of 23 and is now in his 25th year.

“I am grateful for the opportunity and to have this career,” Jepson says. “I enjoy the sense of family you develop in the symphony.”

Each season, the symphony performs nearly 120 concerts and attends 200 or more rehearsals.

“The more difficult repertoire I need to play, the more I’ll need to practice,” Jepson says. “If I practice for an audition, it can require several hours of practice each and every day. I also have a family, so I have to strive for a lot of balance of my time.”

In addition to playing with the Kansas City Symphony, Jepson formerly taught marching and concert percussion in high schools in the Kansas City area.

“I miss the students in high school,” he says. “But I don’t miss the 6:30 a.m. drum line rehearsals.”