Bio

Dr. Christian Swafford is an artist and educator with a diverse percussion performance background. He has a particular interest in collaborative musical projects as well as promoting and performing new works for percussion. His passion for interdisciplinary collaboration is evidenced by his experience performing and researching within a wide array of disciplines—from orchestral and experimental music to neuroscience, world percussion, and dance.

Christian has performed nationally at the Big Ears Festival on three separate occasions — two of which are featured in Rolling Stone and the New York Times — alongside artists such as Harold Budd as a performing member of Nief-Norf. He has performed at the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention for a New Literature showcase in 2015 and an International Percussion Ensemble Competition showcase in 2018 with the University of Tennessee Percussion Ensemble. He has performed twice at the McCormick Marimba Festival and was the multi-percussion solo competition winner at the Tennessee Day of Percussion in 2020.

Christian has directed and instructed several concert and marching ensembles in the southeast, including time as Snare Drum Technician and Battery Coordinator in the WGI PIW circuit and as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland Marching Band. More recently, he taught with KMEA 2023 State Champion Lafayette High School. Christian’s students have performed with the Bluecoats, Carolina Crown, Spirit of Atlanta, Music City Mystique, and Rhythm X.

During his time in Kentucky, Christian played regularly as a section percussionist with the Lexington Philharmonic, taught privately at Central Music Academy, and served as an Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky.

Christian’s research in applying neuroscience to percussion pedagogy has led to significant insights in the realm of complex coordination. His passion for improving learning outcomes through the implementation of scientific research informs his cutting-edge approach to teaching and practice.

Christian currently serves as the director of the percussion area at East Tennessee State University and as principal percussion with the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Kentucky, and he received both his Master of Music and Bachelor of Music in Education degrees at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His drumset teachers include Keith Brown and Paul Deatherage, and his primary percussion teachers include James B. Campbell and Dr. Andrew Bliss.