Dr. Matthew Darling (Professor of Music) has taught and headed the percussion area at Fresno State since
1991, and has been Chair of the Department of Music since Fall 2016. He has appeared
as a soloist, performer, adjudicator, clinician, conductor, and/or presenter throughout
the United States at festivals, universities, state and international music conventions,
including the Percussive Arts Society (PASIC), California Music Educators Association,
and California Band Directors Association. As a performer, Dr. Darling is the principal
timpanist/percussionist with the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra (Nevada
City, CA), and principal timpanist with the Sacramento Choral Society Orchestra.
He also actively performs with the Fresno Philharmonic, Sacramento Philharmonic, and
Modesto Symphony. For years he performed regularly with the Arizona MusicFest Orchestra
and the former Sacramento Symphony, and has also performed with the San Francisco
Ballet Orchestra, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Reno Philharmonic, Phoenix Symphony,
Tucson Symphony, and California Symphony. Dr. Darling has appeared professionally
as a soloist with numerous organizations, including the Music in the Mountains Orchestra,
the Merced Symphony, Orpheus, and the Percussion Ensembles at the University of New
Mexico, University of Arizona, University of South Dakota, Southern Oregon University
and Sacramento State University. In addition, Dr. Darling has performed as a percussionist
for the Fresno stops of national Broadway tours of Wicked (2011, 2014, 2019) and The
Producers.
An avid supporter of new music for percussion, Dr. Darling has been involved with
the premiere of dozens of solo and chamber works. Premiered works written solely
or in-part for Dr. Darling include: Prayer for Peace for marimba solo by Dr. Benjamin
Boone (2011); Neurotica (2008) for solo flute and three percussion by Dr. Kenneth
Froelich; Accidental Migration for solo marimba and percussion ensemble by Dr. Froelich;
Nyumbani (2008), a commissioned three movement work for solo marimba by Mark Vance;
Braided River Nights (2006) for flute and marimba by Howard Hersh, recorded on Albany
Records.
As a teacher and professor, Dr. Darling was presented the CBDA Don Schmeer Friend
of Music Award in 2019, received a Fresno State Outstanding Adviser Award in 2012,
and was named College Educator of the Year by both FMCMEA and the Central Section
of CMEA in 2007. He has hosted the Annual Central California Day of Percussion since
1992, which has seen a long list of world renowned drummers and percussionists including
Kevin Bobo, Michael Burritt, Thomas Burritt, Ndugu Chancler, Anthony Cirone, Peter
Erskine, Pete Escovedo, David Garibaldi, Jeff Hamilton, Emil Richards, David Samuels,
John Santos, Julie Spencer, Michael Spiro, Leigh Howard Stevens, John Tafoya, and
Nancy Zeltsman. Dr. Darling is also active locally as a guest lecturer on subjects
related to popular music. He is co-author on the digital text Listen to the Music, a college level text published by Great River Learning that is a comprehensive overview of the important styles in the development of Jazz and
Rock & Roll music from their inception through today.
Dr. Darling has held the position of President of the California Chapter of Percussive
Arts Society (CA-PAS) since 2009. In 2013, he oversaw the return of the Annual CA-PAS
Competitive Percussion Festival, which is hosted at Fresno State in early May. He
has also served as a Percussion Manager and Coordinator with CASMEC since 2015, and
held the position of Percussion Representative with FMCMEA 2013-2020. He earned a
Doctor of Musical Arts degree in percussion performance from the University of Arizona,
a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Music degree
from California State University, Sacramento. Dr. Darling endorses Grover Pro Percussion,
Innovative Percussion Mallets & Sticks, Sabian Cymbals, and Yamaha.
