Broadway Drumming 101 is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Mariana is an NYC-based freelance percussionist who began her music studies at the National Conservatory of Mexico in Mexico City. She received her Bachelors of Music in Percussion at Rutgers University.

Mariana Ramirez broke historic ground in 2018, becoming the first female Mexican percussionist to perform on a Broadway show while subbing on Once On This Island. It led to sub on two more Broadway shows:  Head Over Heels and Ain’t Too Proud, The Life and Times of the Temptations. Currently, she is one of just two female Mexican drummer/percussionists performing on Broadway. Off-Broadway shows include subbing Merrily We Roll Along and Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, among many others.

With that solid foundation, Mariana went on tour with the drums/percussion chair of Once on This Island Broadway National Tour.

​In addition to Broadway, she has performed in Europe, Asia, and Mexico, playing with Mexican Traditional Music bands, Symphonic Ensembles, Chamber Orchestras, and Pop Bands. 

​​Mariana has also performed on TV shows, including the Steven Colbert Late Night Show, and TV series such as Mozart in the Jungle NBC Universal Upfronts at Radio City Music Hall.

​Mariana also founded Percussion Quartet Excelsis, praised as “one of the most innovative and exciting percussion ensembles to emerge in the golden age of chamber music that we are presently in” by Jonathan Hass head of the New York University Percussion Department.   Excelsis has performed twice at NPR Radio in From the Top show, the Percussive Arts Society New York Weekend Of Percussion in 2014 and 2015, Brooklyn Bound with So Percussion, Zeltsman’s Marimba Festival, Tippet Rise Music Festival in Montana, and most recently presented a Master Class at Salem University in Massachusetts. Sabian Cymbals endorse Excelsis. 

​As a symphonic percussionist, Mariana has performed with orchestras in Mexico and the United States, including the National Symphony of Mexico, Orquesta de Minería, Dartmouth Symphony, South Florida Symphony, the first all-Women Orchestra of Mexico, New England Ensemble, Fairfield Orchestra, and most recently with The Dessoff Choir, premiering works for Choir and Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall. 

For more: https://www.marianapercussion.com

Broadway Drumming 101 is your one-stop shop for everything you'll need to know about playing drums for broadway musicals. When you subscribe to The Broadway 101 Newsletter, you'll learn about what it takes to be a successful pit musician with content delivered directly to your email inbox two to three times a week.

As a paying subscriber, you will receive behind-the-scenes access to the life of a musician who makes a living on Broadway. For $5 a month, or $50 a year, you'll have a backstage pass to the world of a broadway drummer playing on a hit show. You'll also be able to read every post (not just the occasional free ones), you'll get access to all newsletter issues in the archives, and have the ability to participate in subscriber-only comments and events.

The Broadway Drumming 101 Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The podcast features conversations with my colleagues who currently hold drums chairs, showcases talks with broadway drumming legends and highlights up-and-coming drummers breaking into the scene.

There is a lot to learn. Subscribe now, so you don't miss out on the latest posts and podcasts!

Clayton Craddock hosts the Broadway Drumming 101 Podcast and Newsletter. He has held the drum chair in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, Lady Day At Emerson's Bar and Grill and Ain’t Too Proud.

The Broadway Drumming 101 Instagram page: Instagram

The Broadway Drumming 101 YouTube page: YouTube

For more about Clayton, click HERE

Thank you for reading Broadway Drumming 101. This post is public, so feel free to share it.

​

Get full access to Broadway Drumming 101 at broadwaydrumming101.substack.com/subscribe