Available for hire
Dan Ogrodnik
Session & Live Musician · Music Director · Session & Live Engineer
CalArts MFA / Hartt BM. World and classical percussion for sessions, stages, and pits. Music direction, tracking, and live sound.
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“With the success of ensembles such as Repercussion Unit, Hands On'Semble, HazMat Percussion Duo, Limbs, Duo Jalal, Rhein Percussion, and percussionists Greg Meyer, B. Michael Williams, and Shane Shanahan, among many others, world percussion compositions are increasing in quality and quantity.”- Percussive Notes
Work
Listen
Session and ensemble recordings, grouped by project. Full catalog on SoundCloud.
About
Session and live musician for stage, studio, and pit.
Session and live percussionist with an MFA in Multi-Focus Percussion from CalArts and a BM from The Hartt School. Study includes a residency in Ghana (Dagara Music Center / Dagbe Music Center). Classical and contemporary repertoire plus world traditions - Latin, African, Brazilian, Indian, Persian, steelpan, and more.
For 5+ years I was a live accompanist at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance - Contemporary, Afro-Cuban, Partnering, Modern, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Commercial Dance, Dunham Technique, improvisation, and guest clinicians. Instructors include Desmond Richardson, Dwight Rhoden, Patrick Corbin, Victor Quijada, and the Complexions Contemporary Ballet Summer Intensive. Original music for Kaufman choreography; accompanist at DancerPalooza.
Credits include the West Coast premiere of John Luther Adams's Inuksuit (Ojai, curated by Steven Schick); Hands On'Semble with Rhein Percussion at The Blue Whale; Bella Strings at The Beverly Hilton for King Salman of Saudi Arabia; Capitol Records sessions; Dodger Stadium with Dhara. Artists and projects include Izela, ZAUB, Sin Color, Kan Wakan, Sofi Mkheyan, Saba Alizadeh, Vinny Golia, and Sulley Imoro.
Music direction, tracking, and mixing in Pro Tools, Reaper, Ableton Live, and Logic Pro (MaxMSP for custom tools). Live sound for FOH and monitors. Teaching and clinics at CalArts and Evergreen.
Services
What I offer
Session and live musician work, music direction, and session / live engineering.
Session & live musician
World and classical percussion for studio dates, remote recording (inquire for rates), concerts, festivals, theater pits, and dance-class accompaniment. Chart reading and click-track work. Kit, snare, timpani, mallets, and hand percussion across Latin, African, Brazilian, Indian, Persian, steelpan, and contemporary repertoire. Five-plus years as live accompanist at USC Kaufman; Capitol sessions, ensemble records, and theater pit credits. Charts prepared ahead of the date; arrangement-faithful playing with appropriate improvisation.
Music direction
Musical direction for rehearsals and show night: chart preparation, cue maps, tempo maps, and calling cues so band and tech stay aligned. Ableton Live show playback for click-tracked performances: click, count-ins, spoken/MIDI cues, and multitrack backing stems with dedicated sends to FOH and monitors. Live laptop showfile management: scene/clip triggering, session automation, and reliable onstage playback for the full set.
Session & live engineering
Tracking and mixing for studio and ensemble sessions in Pro Tools, Reaper, Ableton Live, and Logic Pro; MaxMSP for custom tools and processes. Live sound for FOH and monitors: gain structure, clear cue mixes, and mixes that hold under loud stage conditions. Load-in, stage plot support, and production backup from CalArts / theater crews and PAC-scale school venues. Available as a single hire for session and live chairs.
Teaching & clinics
Private studio (100+ students) and classroom teaching across drum set, snare, timpani, mallets, and hand drums, with theory as required. Guest masterclasses and clinics including CalArts Percussion Forum and school programs; prior college lecturing in Music Theory, Musicianship, and Rhythm Skills. Curriculum focused on technique, listening, and ensemble habits.
Selected credits
- CalArts MFA (Multi-Focus Percussion); Hartt BM; Ghana residency (Dagara / Dagbe)
- USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance - live accompanist, 5+ years (Contemporary, Afro-Cuban, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and more; instructors incl. Desmond Richardson, Dwight Rhoden, Patrick Corbin, Victor Quijada; Complexions Contemporary Ballet Summer Intensive)
- DancerPalooza - live accompanist
- AGBU Manoukian High School - Faculty, Stage Design and Production (2017-2018); live sound/lighting and events at the AGBU Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Performing Arts Center
- John Luther Adams, Inuksuit - West Coast premiere, Ojai Music Festival (curated by Steven Schick)
- Hands On'Semble with Rhein Percussion - The Blue Whale
- Bella Strings - The Beverly Hilton, for King Salman of Saudi Arabia
- Dodger Stadium - with Dhara
- Capitol Records sessions (incl. Cross Pulses, Abuelo; Celia Cruz track selected for mastering)
- Izela I; ZAUB; Sin Color; theater pits including The Boy from Oz and Spring Awakening
Tools
Studying
Interactive and game-audio skills through study, jams, and GameSoundCon.
Contact
Get in touch
Available for session and live musician work, music direction, and studio / live sound. Email to book.
Los Angeles / Crestline, CA
dan@danogrodnik.com