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Jazz drummer/percussionist Steve Pemberton has gained an international reputation as an incredibly versatile and sensitive musician. Looking at his background, it becomes obvious that he is constantly reinventing himself, refusing to be pigeonholed as a single-faceted artist.
Graduating Summa Cum Laude from the prestigious Berklee College of Music, he then began his world-hopping career, performing in concert and on television throughout Europe, North & South America and Asia. Most recently Steve held the position as jazz drum set specialist & utility percussionist with the prestigious Boston Pops Orchestra, performing under the baton of film composer and conductor John Williams, among others. At last count, he has worked with over 125 orchestras worldwide, including Chicago, San Francisco, St. Louis, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and National Symphony. Prior to his association with the Boston Pops, he held down the drum chair and was featured as a member of Grammy Award winner Peter Nero's Trio for sixteen years.
In the world of jazz, Steve has performed, recorded and/or toured with Mel Tormé, Grover Washington, Jr., Doc Severinsen, the Count Basie and Quincy Jones Orchestras, John Pizzarelli, and the New York Voices. In addition, he has worked with artists as diverse as Patti Austin, Jeffrey Osborne, Diahann Carroll, Vic Damone, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, Melissa Manchester, Maureen McGovern, Peabo Bryson, Marvin Hamlisch, Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn, Jerry Herman, Ann Hampton Callaway, Skitch Henderson, Kathie Lee Gifford, Frankie Avalon, Shirley Jones, Jerry Vale, Crystal Gayle, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Nell Carter, Margaret Whiting, Rich Little, Don Rickles, Mickey Rooney, Joan Rivers and the Smothers Brothers. In addition, Steve feels privileged to have performed for numerous US Presidents at the White House, including Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush (Sr.), Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.
As a session musician for feature films, television and records, Steve can be found in the studios and on the soundstages at Universal, Sony/Columbia, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Studios. One of Steve’s more notable highlights is his work on Patti Page's Grammy Award winning CD for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, "Patti Page - Live at Carnegie Hall".
In addition to performing, Steve is a noted educator and published composer, offering clinics for percussion manufacturers Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks and REMO Drumheads. Some of his percussion literature has been premiered and performed at such institutions as the Interlochen Arts Academy, New England Conservatory of Music, University of Miami and the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention (PASIC).
He has been invited as a guest clinician and consultant for various performing arts programs, including the NARAS Grammy in the Schools program and Philadelphia's "Jazz in the Schools" program, and has been asked to perform at numerous national music conventions and leading music universities.
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