2025 Guest Conductor and Concert Percussion Clinician
Neil Grover, a 2024 Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame inductee, has made his mark as a world-class performer and a renowned pioneer in percussion instruments. His multifaceted career as a musician, educator, designer, and entrepreneur has significantly impacted the global percussion community.
Neil’s impressive performance credits include the soundtrack for the blockbuster movie “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” collaborations with the iconic rock band Aerosmith, and over 40 years with the Boston Symphony & Pops.
As the founder and CEO of Grover Pro Percussion, Neil led a team of skilled craftspeople in creating top-tier American-made percussion instruments. Under his leadership, Grover Pro received the prestigious “Small Manufacturer of the Year” award from the SBA in 2019. For over four decades, the company has produced innovative instruments used by professionals and students worldwide.
At just 23 years of age, Neil Grover began his professional career as the Principal Percussionist of the Opera Company of Boston, a role he held for seven seasons. He then spent twenty years as the Percussionist/Assistant Timpanist with the Boston Ballet Orchestra. Neil’s musical versatility spans symphony, chamber music, ballet, opera, and commercial recordings. He has performed with prestigious ensembles such as the Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Music from Marlboro, Indianapolis Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Boston Musica Viva, and the Empire Brass. His recording credits include Philip Glass’s soundtrack for “Mishima” and John Williams’s award-winning score for “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Additionally, he made a cameo as a Boston Pops percussionist in the movie “Blown Away” starring Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones.
Neil has toured extensively with Music from Marlboro, the Boston Symphony, Henry Mancini, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Star Wars In Concert, and the Broadway production of “The Pirates of Penzance.” For over forty years, he was a regular percussionist with the world-famous Boston Pops, performing under Maestros Arthur Fiedler, John Williams, and Keith Lockhart. He has played in over 2,000 concerts worldwide with both the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops.
Formerly the Chair of the Percussion Programs at both The Boston Conservatory and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Neil has been an invited lecturer at over 100 schools across four continents. Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to sharing his extensive knowledge of professional percussion techniques through numerous educational programs and publications. He has given presentations at over 100 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Neil has also taught master classes at institutions such as the Sydney Conservatory (Australia), Conservatoire de Paris, London’s Royal College of Music & Guildhall School (England), Royal Northern College of Music (UK), Royal Conservatory (Scotland), and many others in Japan, Korea, and Europe. He has been invited to present clinics at over 50 state and international percussion events, including the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference, Iowa Bandmasters Convention, and four times at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.
Neil Grover has authored or co-authored five publications: Four Mallet Primer, Four Mallet Fundamentals, Art of Triangle & Tambourine Playing, Percussionist’s Cookbook, and The Art of Percussion Playing, all published by Meredith Music. He has also contributed educational articles to School Band & Orchestra Magazine, Percussive Notes, and Drum Tracks.
Neil and Grover Pro have been featured in music publications such as Modern Drummer, School Band & Orchestra, Musical Merchandise Review, and Percussive Notes. They were also showcased in the premiere season of the Discovery Channel’s series How It’s Made.
Neil has served on the Board of Directors of the Percussive Arts Society and the Winchester Community Music School. He has been a member of PAS’s Board of Advisors and has chaired both the Symphonic Committee and the Sustaining Members Advisory Council. Currently, he is a board member of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra.
Neil is married to Tony® nominated actress Maureen Brennan, and they have one son, Max, who is an award winning aviator.