Arnold F. Riedhammer, percussionist and composer much sought after in the fields of classical music as well as rock, pop and jazz, was born in Somerville, New Jersey, USA, of German-American parents. From 1966 to 1970, he studied at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich, passing his final examination with honours in 1970.



After working as a solo timpanist in Nuremberg and Bonn, Riedhammer has been the solo percussionist with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra since 1974. He is also a teacher of percussion and head of his department at the Academy of Music in Munich. Numerous students of his class have received positions in top orchestras throughout Europe and Asia.



1980: soloist examination at the National Academy of Music Trossingen (instrument: solo percussion). 1981: National Sponsorship Award for percussion, the first time ever a percussionist received this award.



Numerous TV, radio and record productions featuring percussion concerts, for example, with Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. Riedhammer wrote several title songs and music for commercials commissioned by the Bavaria Broadcasting Co. He also wrote several percussion pieces for Zimmermann/Frankfurt and Studio 4 Music/Los Angeles.



As a classical percussionist Arnold Riedhammer has performed, for example, with Leonard Bernstein, Sergiu Celebidache, Herbert von Karajan, Seiji Ozawa, Sir George Solti, Zubin Mehta, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Christian Thielemann etc.



In the field of pop and rock music, Arnold Riedhammer has recorded and toured with: The Rolling Stones, Freddie Mercury and Queen, Liza Minelli, Liberace, Chris de Burgh, Donna Summer, Randy Crawford, Henri Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, Elmar Bernstein, Lawrence Rosenthal etc.



Additionally, Arnold Riedhammer gives clinics, courses and workshops and plays solo percussion concerts both in Germany and abroad.



Arnold Riedhammer is the drummer of one of the most successful groups in Europe called Blechschaden. they have won the German Grammy Award (Echo Preis) twice and play 100 concerts throughout Europe every year.