Malcolm W. Taylor (he/him) is a percussionist and educator based in Maryland. He is an active chamber musician with Matchstick Percussion and is currently Adjunct Percussion faculty at Towson University in Towson, MD.
His research focuses on Afro-Futurism and Black Experimentalism aesthetics and techniques in concert percussion, and he is a strong advocate for new music and seeks to collaborate with artists from diverse backgrounds. He focuses on incorporating theatrical elements and technology with percussion and creating interdisciplinary performances, notably collaborating with Towson University Theatre on the 2018 production of Icarus at the Border: A Meditation on Monstrous Appetites.
Malcolm is a founder of Matchstick Percussion, a Maryland-based percussion quartet dedicated to uplifting voices of underrepresented composers. The group actively commissions and collaborates with composers and artists and tours their programs across the East Coast. He has performed with the 21st Century Consort, New Orchestra of Washington, and the American Festival Pops Orchestra.
Focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in percussion, Malcolm serves as the Marketing Chair on board of directors for the Network for Diversity in Concert Percussion: a 501(c)3 Non-profit organization “who serves as a resource for, and support to, aspiring professional percussionists from underrepresented and underserved communities in an effort to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion in the concert percussion community.”
Malcolm is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at George Mason University as a Presidential Scholar. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Performance from Towson University and a Master of Music from Penn State University where he was the Percussion Graduate Teaching Assistant. Away from music, Malcolm enjoys cooking, photographing nature scenes, tasting new coffees and teas, and exploring computer programming and electronics.
