Sunderman Conservatory of Music

Drummer/percussionist, Alphonso M. Young, Jr. has been a professional musician for more than 40 years. His versatile and imaginative style of performance has not only charmed audiences around the world, but has led such noted artists as Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, George Colligan, Tim Warfield, Terrell Stafford, Giacomo Gates, Buck Hill, Etta Jones, Ira Sullivan, Othello Molineaux, Rebecca Parris and Chris Vidala to acquire his talent. He has also performed with trumpeter/composer Alan Baylock, World-renowned Benny Powell, Miles Griffith, jazz vocalist Kenny Washington and jazz diva Vanessa Rubin, as well as many other luminaries of the jazz world.

Recent international tours include: Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Dubai, Estonia, Italy, Honduras, Peru, Switzerland, Trinidad and the Caribbean.

Live performances include appearances at the East Coast Jazz Festival, the Capital Jazz Festival, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Blues Alley, as well as, numerous festivals and musical venues throughout the United States.

Recordings include: PBS three-part series Stealing Time, National Geographic The Secret Lives of Cats, commercials for the National Institute of Health, CDs with bassist Terry Burrell, the Powell/Wulf Project (Songs of Christmas), the group Open Window, the Eric Byrd Trio, Lea Gilmore Group, the Young Brothers Trio and others.

Alphonso is currently a music instructor with Loudoun County Public Schools and on the faculty of Shenandoah University; positions which he has held since 1994. During this time, Alphonso has rapidly become one of the leading authorities on drum set performance and pedagogy. He is currently the drummer with the Young Brothers Trio, Eric Byrd Trio and the Robert Larson Trio, and performs with many other artists throughout the Eastern coastal region. In 2007, he and his brother were named as “Artist in Residence” at the Strathmore Performing Arts Center. In addition to his rigorous teaching and performing schedule, he has written material for the National Band Association Journal, released a book entitled “DRUMS” and does numerous clinics throughout the United States and abroad.