2026 Day of Percussion

Dr. Brian Graiser (b. 1986) is the Instructor of Percussion and Percussion Area Coordinator at Arkansas State University, where he leads a team of accomplished percussion faculty and oversees all aspects of the percussion program while remaining an active performer, composer, and researcher. ​​As an internationally-respected artist and clinician, Brian has enjoyed musical engagements across North America, Central America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, including several solo/chamber performances and research presentations at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) as well as at Dél-Alföldi Ütőhangszeres Szakmai Nap és Konferenciasolo (University of Szeged, Hungary), the APERIO—Music of the Americas Festival, the Festival Internacional de Musica Alfredo Saint Malo (Panama), the American Harp Society Summer Institute, and the Winter Vibe Fest hosted by the Center for Mallet Percussion Research (U.S.). His diverse 2024 calendar has included performances with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Link Theatre Company, and in solo recital for the Arkansas premieres of works by Julien Dassié, Stuart Saunders Smith, and Rachel Walker, as well as clinician engagements for the PAS-Arkansas Virtual Day of Percussion and for the inaugural Arkansas Region V High School All-Region Percussion Ensemble. Brian’s award-winning compositions have been described by Percussive Notes as “rhythmically and sonically captivating,” “full of craft,” and “[a] wonderful exploration of sound,” and have been commissioned and performed by artists around the world. While he enjoys a multifaceted slate of interests, Brian is best known for his scholarly and creative work with the vibraphone, highlighted by numerous compositions and commissions for the instrument (including two concerti for the four-octave vibraphone), several published research articles and presentations, and his service as founder and current President of The Vibraphone Project (www.thevibraphoneproject.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the instrument. Brian regularly tours with his wife, Dr. Alaina Graiser, as the REFLECT harp+percussion duo, championing new music and innovative transcriptions for their instruments (although the duo’s most important project is raising their two sons).