theodore jackson
Theodore Jackson (b. 1998) is a percussionist and composer based in West Point, NY. He currently serves as a percussionist in the West Point Band, at the United States Military Academy. He completed his undergraduate work in percussion performance at the University of Central Florida where he was a two-time winner of the UCF School of Performing Arts Performance Excellence Competition. In 2022, he received his Master’s in percussion performance, with an outside area in composition, from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. While at IU, he was also awarded the Performer’s Certificate.
Before coming to West Point, Ted performed regularly with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and was an Associate Instructor of Percussion at IU. While in Bloomington, he coordinated the secondary lessons studio, and taught courses in Percussion Techniques, Steel Band, and private lessons. In 2022, he was a percussion fellow with the National Repertory Orchestra and a member of the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts, led by Steven Schick.
He has also performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), and can be heard playing tenor pan on the “Summer Knights” album (2020) by the UCF Black Steel Pan Ensemble, and playing tenors on the UCF Marching Knights album, “Live from Driggers Field” (2018). Some of the conductors he has performed under include: Teddy Abrams, Stéphane Denève, Michael Francis, Giancarlo Guerrero, Damon Gupton, Gemma New, Robert Spano, Michael Stern, and Thomas Wilkins.
Originally from Riverview, Florida, his teachers include Dr. Thad Anderson, Jeff Moore, Kirk Gay, Joseph Gramley, John Tafoya, and Kevin Bobo. He has also studied composition with Dr. Alex Burtzos, Patrick Lenz, Dr. Don Freund, Dr. Andreia Pinto-Correia, Dr. Katherine Balch, and Dr. Han Lash.