Former Principal Percussionist/Assistant Timpanist of the Chicago Symphony, current Los Angeles studio musician and lifelong educator
Ted Atkatz is a renowned performer, educator, recording artist, and composer. He is the former Principal Percussionist and Assistant Timpanist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Ted now resides in Los Angeles, where he is an active studio musician. He has performed on over 60 motion picture soundtracks, including “Frozen,” “The Jungle Book” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Ted has performed with the Atlanta Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Dallas Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, and the Santa Barbara Symphony. Ted has served as the head of the Colburn Percussion Department since 2015. Recent graduates now hold positions in the Baltimore Symphony (Principal Percussion), Kansas City Symphony (Associate Principal Percussion), New Jersey Symphony (Principal Timpani), New World Symphony (two Percussion Fellows), Philadelphia Orchestra (Associate Principal Percussion), and Seattle Symphony.