Michael Quinn, well known for his distinguished career as percussionist and timpanist in the USA and abroad, died on Jan. 21, 2017 at his home in Switzerland with his family after a long illness. His many years performing included percussion positions with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. He was timpanist with the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, Switzerland, and the La Scala Opera in Milan, Italy.

In addition to his laudable career as a performer, Mike was a dedicated teacher. He was for many years a guest teacher at the Civica Scuola di Musica, Milan, Italy, and taught a seminar in orchestral performance practice at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, Switzerland. He collaborated with the Toscanini Foundation in Italy, and with the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany, and held seminars and workshops in Europe, the USA, and China. He also shared his expertise as a clinician for Sabian Cymbals. He presented a memorable clinic at PASIC 2007 on the percussion instruments of 19th-century Italy. Until recently, he was percussion tutor for the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, Vienna, Austria.

Two of Mike’s momentous contributions to the Percussive Arts are his recent translations and publications of Renato Meucci’s The Timpani and Percussion Instruments in 19th Century Italy (2010, translated 2011) and Carlo Antonio Boracchi’s Manual for the Timpanist (1842, translated 2016) that Mike humbly made available to the world on his bandaturca.com website (the website will remain active).

Mike was born in Norwich, Conn., February 29 1944. He moved to Europe in 1969 after completing his studies at the New England Conservatory with Simon Sternberg (who played snare drum on the premiere of the Bartok “Concerto for Orchestra”) and Vic Firth. He also studied timpani and percussion with Alexander Lepak and Karl Peinkofer, and music history with Daniel Pinkham, F. Judd Cooke, and Harold Johnson.

His love for music lives on in his numerous students, and also in his four children, three of whom are professional musicians, his wife Evelyn, and Mike’s seven grandchildren.

Mike’s always-welcoming, warm personality and boundless, caring spirit will be sorely missed in the music world and by his friends and many students. Mike will be remembered for his earthen interests in viticulture, wine and grappa, bee-keeping, and sheep rearing, and his passion for the mountains, especially the Dolomites.

“Mike Quinn had a sharp mind and a great sense of humor. It was obvious that he was a great teacher; even when making a point emphatically, he did so in a positive and charismatic way and made it easy to agree with him. Being sharp-witted and possessing a “Boston” sense of humor made every day with Mike a joy and adventure. Many days we enjoyed his company, laughing and learning. He was always energetic and with good reason: He made great friends, found amazing work, watched students rise and mature, lived in one of the most beautiful places on earth and, with certainty, he lived life well. He will be missed.” — Andy Zildjian