Anthony Di Sanza

Biography

Anthony Di Sanza is an internationally recognized percussionist, having performed and presented masterclasses throughout North America, Asia and Europe. Active in a variety of Western and non-Western percussive traditions, he can be heard on many internationally distributed CD and video recordings with various artists. In review of his solo CD release, On the nature of…,, All Music Guide writes; “Di Sanza dazzles not only in the assurance and polish of his playing but in his tremendous vitality and spontaneity.”

In 2020 the electro-acoustic group Curry, Hetzler & Di Sanza released Don’t Look Down, featuring an original, album length work described by the International Trombone Association as a performance “With stunning musical intention, evocative and relatable source material and a phenomenal musical performance.” Di Sanza’s work with Union Duo resulted in the release of eleven music videos in 2020 and 2021. He is also a member of the global percussion quintet Ensemble Duniya which released eight music videos in 2025. The group’s premier CD recording, Time’s Arc, was praised by Percussive Notes magazine as “staggeringly good” and “a triumph.”

In 2015 Di Sanza recorded the expansive percussion concerto Moon Shadows for the CD Reflections: Seven Orchestral Works by Michael Udow. Di Sanza has also recorded with Galaxy Percussion, Sole Nero piano and percussion duo, Keiko Abe and the Michigan Chamber Players, the Isthmus Brass, the Brass Band of Battle Creek, the Reptile Palace Orchestra and The Wisconsin Brass Quintet.

Also a percussion composer, Di Sanza’s 1st concerto for darabukka (Middle Eastern goblet drum) and percussion quartet has been performed internationally and his second concerto, titled Time’s Arc, was praised by Percussive Notes as “inventive,” “exciting” and a “tour-de-force.” Additionally, he has published solo works for marimba and frame drum.

Di Sanza serves as percussion professor at the University of Wisconsin – Madison where he was recognized in 2020 with the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorship. Anthony earned the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Youngstown State University as well as masters and doctoral degrees in percussion performance from the University of Michigan. Anthony is an endorser of Black Swamp Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, Marimba One, Encore Mallets, Remo Drumheads and Pro-Mark Drumsticks.

SPECIALTIES:
Contemporary Western percussion – marimba, vibraphone, orchestral percussion
Brazilian and Arabic percussion
Hand-drumming
Samba Batucada
Composing for percussion

LANGUAGES;
English