Spotlight | Acting Principal Percussion

David Yoon

David Yoon joins the Kansas City Symphony in 2019 as associate principal percussion and current acting principal. Growing up in Irvine, California, he played piano and violin before studying percussion under Nick Terry of the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet. In high school, he studied with Jack Van Geem, the former principal percussionist of the San Francisco Symphony. A recipient of the Kovner Fellowship, he received his bachelor’s degree in percussion performance from the Juilliard School, studying under Daniel Druckman and Markus Rhoten. Yoon won his position in Kansas City while pursuing graduate studies for one year at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Christopher Lamb, Duncan Patton, She-e Wu and Kyle Zerna. He performed at the Verbier Festival for three years, and also spent summers at the Pacific Music Festival, Music Academy of the West and the Texas Music Festival. He was an inaugural two-year member of the National Youth Orchestra of the USA, and toured with conductor Valery Gergiev to venues including Royal Albert Hall and the Mariinsky Theatre. Yoon has won numerous competitions including first prizes at the Great Plains International Marimba Competition, Modern Snare Drum Competition and Southern California International Marimba Competition. In 2016, he was the recipient of the Kerope Zildjian Scholarship. He is a proud endorser of Zildjian Cymbals.