"I have always been attracted to improvised music, where great musicians create music in the moment as if it were flowing from their inner self. My studies of the amazingly complex traditions of Western contemporary music, Indonesian gamelan, Brazilian samba, Afro-Cuban rhumba, and the world of jazz and popular music confirm this belief."
Terry Vermillion’s career blends improvised and classical music, influenced by diverse traditions like gamelan, samba, and jazz. At St. Cloud State University, he performs with ensembles such as Trio Lorca and the Minnesota Orchestra and has been a soloist in major percussion concertos. He’s received awards including a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Grant and Downbeat’s Jazz Instrumental Soloist award. Vermillion directs the Percussion Ensemble and World Drumming Group, teaches privately, and has led the Minnesota Percussive Arts Society chapter and regional music councils.