Percussion, Principal

Robert A. Nowak, percussion, is a member of the music faculty at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA. In addition to teaching Introduction to Music classes, percussion, percussion methods, and directing the mallet and percussion ensembles at LVC, Nowak also serves as the percussion consultant for Pottsville Area High School and Tamaqua Area High School. He is Principal Percussionist of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and Principal Percussionist of the Reading Symphony Orchestra.

As a busy free-lance percussionist, he performs at the F.M. Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre; the Scranton Cultural Center, Scranton; the Sovereign Center for the Performing Arts, Reading; the State Theater, Easton; and the Hershey Theater, Hershey Arena, Giant Center, and Hersheypark, Hershey.

He is a graduate of Mansfield State College, Mansfield, PA and the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. Norwak has performed with: Al Martino, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Debbie Boon, Natalie Cole, Ann Jillian, Tommy Tune, Regis Philbin, Olivia Newton-John, Petula Clark, and the National Tours of “Grand Hotel”, “Chorus Line”, “Bye, Bye, Birdie”, “Dream Girls”, “Big”, “Peter Pan”, “Ragtime”, “The Full Monty”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Light in the Piazza”, “Manheim Steamroller”, etc.

Despite his very busy schedule, Nowak gives private lessons, and manufactures mahogany log drums, triangle holders and goose neck cymbal holders used by major symphony orchestra and music schools around the world. He is a member of the Educational Team of Vic Firthy, Inc. He is honored to endorse Musser and to be an educational endorser for Sabian Cymbals.