Blake Tyson

Univ. of Central Arknsas

Blake Tyson has a multifaceted career and is known as a teacher, performer, and composer. Since 2001 he has been a member of the faculty of the University of Central Arkansas. His international performances have taken him to Europe, Africa, South America and Asia. He has performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Northwest Percussion Festival, the Leigh Howard Stevens Summer Marimba Seminar, and at numerous Days of Percussion throughout the United States.

He received the DMA degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. While there he was also awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. He holds a MM from Kent State University, and a BM from the University of Alabama. His teachers include John Beck, Michael Burritt, Halim El-Dabh, Larry Mathis, and Peggy Benkeser. Blake Tyson has composed many works for percussion, including Vertical River,Anubis, A cricket sang and set the sun, A Ceiling Full of Stars, Inside the Shining Stone, and Cloud Forest.