About me
Dallas-based percussionist Blaise Rothwell has performed with the Houston, Fort Worth, Kansas City, Des Moines, and Wichita Symphonies, Orchestra Iowa, and the Des Moines Metro Opera. He was in the orchestra for notable opera performances in Des Moines including a new production of Puccini’s Turandot in 2017, and Emmy-winning productions of Manon and Billy Budd that were broadcast on Iowa Public Television. In 2018, he attended the Texas Music Festival, where he worked with percussion faculty Matthew Strauss and Ted Atkatz as well as conductor Hans Graf, former music director of the Houston Symphony, and in 2019, Blaise performed with the Kansas City Symphony for Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s production of The Pearl Fishers, conducted by Pittsburgh Opera music director Antony Walker. More recently, Blaise has performed many concerts live-to-screen, including several Harry Potter film scores in Des Moines, Encanto in Fort Worth, and Bugs Bunny at the Symphony in Houston.
Mr. Rothwell holds degrees from Drake University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, a Professional Performance Certificate from the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University, and a Performer’s Diploma from Southern Methodist University. At SMU, he studied with George Nickson and Brian Jones of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Ed Smith (vibraphone) and John Bryant (drum set). At Lynn, Blaise studied with Ted Atkatz, Shaun Tilburg, and Parker Lee. His former teachers include Aaron Williams, Robert Meunier and Michael Geary of the Des Moines Symphony, and he has taken further lessons with Matt Strauss and Leo Soto of the Houston Symphony, Joe Petrasek of the Atlanta Symphony, and Will James of the St. Louis Symphony.
Blaise Rothwell teaches percussion for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Kim Noltemy Young Musicians Program and at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Outside of music, Blaise has also been a referee for youth, adult amateur, and semi-professional soccer matches. His other interests include cooking, running, and travel.
