Known as a talented, versatile and mature musician, Jamie Drake has been playing percussion and drumset for more than 12 years. He received his Bachelor of Music (Performance) degree from the University of Toronto (where he studied with Russell Hartenberger, Robin Engelman, Beverley Johnston and John Rudolph) and his Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where his teacher was Jack Van Geem. He also received an A.R.C.T. Diploma in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada). He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance at the University of Toronto.



Jamie has been the winner of numerous awards and competitions, including the Avedis Zildjian Scholarship, the University of Toronto Concerto Competition, and the SFCM Honours Award. Performance highlights have included playing Steve Reich's Drumming with NEXUS at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (2002), and the world premiere of Elinor Armer's Ringing In at the Gala Opening of the Osher Salon and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's new building (2006). He has held the position of Timpanist/Percussionist for the Scotia Festival of Music (2007), during which he performed live on CBC Radio 2, premiering two new works by Canadian composer Christos Hatzis. He has also been selected twice as a member of the Toronto Summer Music, where he was assistant to the members of Nexus.



Currently located in the Toronto area, Jamie continues to perform with numerous orchestras, choirs, world music groups, jazz ensembles and big bands. Jamie also has extensive music theatre experience; he has played drum/percussion parts for shows as diverse as The Merry Widow to Jesus Christ Superstar to High School Musical. He was also responsible for writing and performing the percussion book in the 2006 Toronto Fringe Show Box Office - The Musical, where one reviewer commented, "The ONLY high point to the evening was the fantastic percussionist." (Truth be told, Jamie thought the show was pretty good, but he'll take the compliment anyway.)



Jamie is involved in a number of chamber ensembles that have brought him much acclaim and taken him across the country. His percussion quartet TorQ most recently performed a solo concert and taught in Vancouver as clinicians for the 2007 MusicFest Nationals. Quicksilver, a flute and percussion ensemble, performed the final concert of the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre Series at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, and presented the world premiere of another of Hatzis' latest compositions, Afterthoughts 2. As part of the contemporary music group Muskox, he is constantly stretching the boundries which separate jazz, classical and free improvisation.



Jamie is pleased to endorse Yamaha Canada Percussion, Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, Mountain Rythym percussion instruments and Woodshed Percussion.