It all started at the age of 10 in elementary school. I had the choice of playing trumpet or percussion, and I naively chose percussion because of my asthma. Ironically, I think that the trumpet would have actually improved my asthma, but hindsight is always 20/20, as they say.

In middle school, a band teacher recommended that I audition for a local youth orchestra called the Empire State Youth Orchestra, and I [was accepted]. I immediately fell in love with orchestral music and the sound world that percussion can add to any ensemble. The sheer variety of percussion instruments that I was exposed to, even in those early years, was captivating.

Brian Maloney. Photo © Nik Babic

[After graduating with a Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory], I joined WASO in 2016. At first, I assumed that Perth’s isolation would be a musical hindrance, but I soon discovered that it led to unencumbered music-making within the orchestra, because it was less susceptible to musical influences from other orchestras in the region.

Playing a large number of different instruments is probably THE defining characteristic that distinguishes my instrument...