Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Michael Wimberly set off for New York in 1982, quickly carving out a niche for himself as an eclectic percussionist. It was there he performed in duets, quartets and larger ensembles sculpting his unique musical voice. For example, with Steve Coleman’s Five Elements (including David Gilmore, Marvin Smitty’ Smith and Ravi Coltrane) he collaborated on many projects, live and in the studio, in which radical conceptual pieces were refined for performance.
In addition to being a drummer, pianist and percussionist, Michael Wimberly is also a composer and sound designer who has written for prestigious New York dance companies (Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Urban Bush Women and Joffrey Ballet), Theaters and Independent Film Makers. Although his percussive repertoire is replete with traditional rhythms, Michael is known for playing cutting-edge music involving spontaneous improvisation and composed works with International Symphony Orchestras.
Michael holds a Masters Degree from The Manhattan School of Music and is currently a professor at Bennington College in Vermont and a faculty member at The Collective (formerly Drummers Collective). He is the founder of “Power of Drum”, a percussive arts and education event held annually in NYC, which has now expanded to Portugal and Spain.
