Early Life and Education
Ross Karre, born in 1983 in Battle Creek, Michigan, is an American percussionist, filmmaker, and producer whose work is centered on interdisciplinary and time-based artistic formats. His creative approach is defined by the integration of percussion with visual media, electronics, and spatial performance concepts.
Artistic Career and Performances
Karre’s career includes numerous concerts, festival engagements, and world premieres across the globe. He spent many years as a percussionist, artistic producer, and later as Artistic Director with the International Contemporary Ensemble, contributing to hundreds of premieres during his tenure. In addition to his percussion performances, he frequently works as a video and projection designer in productions and collaborations with major artistic institutions. His projects bring together sound, image, and installation-based performance in innovative ways.
Research, Projects, and Curatorial Work
Karre is actively involved in curatorial and research-driven initiatives focused on the documentation and advancement of contemporary music practices. He has filmed and archived a wide range of creative processes and developed new methods for presenting and preserving contemporary artistic work.
Teaching and Artistic Leadership
Since 2022, Ross Karre has served as Associate Professor of Percussion at the Oberlin Conservatory. He teaches percussion, mentors student-driven artistic projects, and plays a key role in shaping the creative direction of the percussion area. His pedagogical philosophy combines technical excellence with artistic vision and strongly supports the individual development of young percussionists.
A look into Ross' Setup
Superball Mallets
Ross Karre uses a specialised percussion beater designed for instruments whose surfaces demand both sensitivity and control: the beater is drawn across the instrument surface with light pressure, making it ideal for gongs, tam‐tams, head‐instruments (such as drums with skins) and marimba plates.
The Superball-model featuring rubber hemispheres ensures a reliable response even on heavier or more inert instruments like tam-tams, delivering a quick attack and clean articulation.
Photo Credits: Venera Red