Sean Hamilton is a percussionist, composer, and improviser whose interests primarily lie in the conjunctions of new music, electroacoustic music, free improvisation, experimental music, and interdisciplinary projects.
As a percussionist, Sean gave the world premiere of Stuart Saunders Smith’s Queen Anne’s Lace for solo vibraphone, an evening-length work commissioned by Sean. He has served as an artist-in-residence with Leeds Improvised Music and Experimentation (LIME) in Leeds, UK, and has been featured on WKCRFM New York and at the 2017 SEAMUS National Conference. Additionally, he has presented lectures and solo performances throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom. Sean can be heard on albums with the McCormick Percussion Group, the Hamilton-Suarez Duo, the Jamison Williams Trio,and Mechanical Bull.
Sean is a regular collaborator with visual artists, dancers, choreographers, and musicians, having previously worked with artists including VERB Ballets, New Orleans Airlift, Lindsey Kelley Dance, Death Posture, Eli Blasko, Tatsuya Nakatani, Jacqui Dugal, Mbulelo Ndabeni, Claire Lefevre, and the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum. Notable projects include two weeks of creative research at the Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Choreographers and Composers Lab in Leeds, UK, emit:time and Lick in Nude with Lindsey Kelley Dance, and Pieces of Yearning with Antonio Morillo of Verb Ballets.
Sean’s original compositions include works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, electroacoustic mediums, and fixed media that have been performed in both the United States and Europe. His work has been performed and presented at Next @ Graham at the Martha Graham Studios in New York, the Electrobrass Conference, The Charles Adams Studio Project, the Dimitria Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece, and on WKCR’s Afternoon New Music.
Sean holds a Master of Music degree in percussion performance and music composition from the University of South Florida and a BM in Music Education from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He has also studied with Stuart Saunders Smith, Sylvia Smith, Christian Wolff, Robert Morris, and Berndt Thurner.