Thomas Sherwood has been the Principal Percussionist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1999, holding the endowed Julie and Arthur Montgomery Chair. Tan Dun's Concerto for Water Percussion, performed in March 2005, marked his solo debut with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.A native of Fairfax, Virginia, he began his musical career at a young age after he discovered his father's drum set in the garage. He graduated with his bachelor of music in percussion performance from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. A student of Thomas Siwe,he was the youngest recipient of the Edgard Varèse Memorial Scholarship. He went on to earn his master's degree from Temple University, where he studied with Alan Abel, former associate principal percussionist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Prior to joining the ASO, Mr. Sherwood was a member of the prestigious New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. With that orchestra he performed on several international tours (Monaco, Israel,England, France, Austria, the Netherlands, and Costa Rica) and made numerous recordings. He also performed frequently with the Naples Philharmonic in Naples, Florida. His summer festival performances include the National Orchestral Institute (College Park, Maryland), the Spoleto Festival Orchestra (Charleston, South Carolina), and Aspen Music Festival (Aspen, Colorado), where he held the Charlie Owen Memorial Scholarship.
An active educator, Mr. Sherwood presented clinics at the 2001 and 2003 Percussive Arts Society International Conventions. He has been a percussion coach for the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra since 2000, and is also the percussion instructor for the ASO's Talent Development Program.
Mr. Sherwood resides in Atlanta with his wife Jessica, their son Leo, and Patsy the pug.