Founded in 2006, the Meehan/ Perkins Duo (Todd Meehan and Doug Perkins) has emerged as a driving force in new music through their compelling performances of new works for percussion. Hailed as "superb young percussionists" by the New Yorker, the duo believes in cultivating relationships with living composers through commissions and collaborations that expand the percussion genre. Their repertoire encompasses the vast sound possibilities of percussion, including both acoustic and electro-acoustic works.
Todd and Doug first began collaborating as chamber musicians in 1999 as founding members of So Percussion. They have since performed at countless venues across the country including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Bang on a Can Marathon, the BAM Next Wave Festival, Miller Theater, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the Round Top Chamber Music Series. In addition to their performances the duo regularly teaches master classes at universities throughout the country.
The duo performs on Pearl/ Adams musical instruments, Black Swamp Percussion accessories, and Vic Firth sticks and mallets.
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Todd Meehan
Todd Meehan is Director of Percussion Studies at the Baylor University School of Music. He is an active solo, orchestral, and chamber musician with performances throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. From 1999 to 2003 Todd served as a founding member of So Percussion presenting concerts and masterclasses around the country. He has worked with composers Steve Reich, David Lang, Christopher Rouse, James Wood, and Lukas Ligeti, and has commissioned numerous works for solo and chamber percussion.
As an orchestral musician Todd has performed under conductors Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Tilson Thomas, Robert Spano, Peter Ounjdian, Gunther Schuller, and Myung Whung Chung. He currently serves as Principal Timpanist with the Waco Symphony Orchestra and Percussionist with the baroque period ensemble, Orchestra of New Spain.
Performance credits include the Bang on a Can Marathon, the BAM Next Wave Festival, Miller Theater's Composer Portrait Series, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Round Top International Festival-Institute Chamber Music Series, the Rocky River Chamber Music Series, the Open Ears New Music Series, the New England Gamelan Festival, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Additionally, he has performed live on WNYC's New Sounds hosted by John Schaefer.
Todd received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, his Master of Music degree from Yale University, and is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin. His teachers include Robert van Sice, George Frock, James Ross, and Michael Green.
Douglas Perkins
Doug Perkins specializes in new works for percussion as a chamber musician and soloist. This has taken him to stages and festivals throughout North America and Europe including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Spoleto USA Festival, and the World Expo in Lisbon, Portugal. He was a founding member of So Percussion and is presently hard at work with the Meehan/ Perkins Duo.
Commissioning and collaborating of new work is important to Doug. To that end, he works regularly with such composers as David Lang, Steve Reich, Paul Lansky, John Luther Adams, Steve Mackey, John Zorn, and Evan Ziporyn. He also performs regularly with groups such as the International Contemporary Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, Camerata Pacifica, Collage New Music, eighth blackbird, Max Roach's M’ Boom, and the electronica duo Matmos.
Doug currently teaches at Dartmouth College where he teaches percussion and directs the Contemporary Music Lab. Additionally, he is the Director of the Annual Festival of New Music and the concert series The Way to Go Out.
Doug received his Bachelor's degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Masters and Artist Diploma degrees from Yale University, and his Doctorate from Stony Brook University. His principle percussion teachers were Jack DiIanni, Jim Culley, and Robert Van Sice.