Biography

Edward F. Dunlap earned his undergraduate degree in percussion performance at Baldwin Wallace University, Conservatory of Music and his graduate degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he served as the percussion studio graduate assistant and founded the I.U.P. Community Music School Percussion Ensemble. His international experience includes studying traditional Ewe music in Ghana, where he performed for the funeral of President John Atta Mills in 2012, and conducting extensive research in Havana, Cuba, with bata drummer Alejandro Carbajal Guerra in 2018.

Enthusiastic about promoting the percussion ensemble as an art form, Dunlap is active in the Percussive Arts Society. He has served as a member of the Percussion Ensemble Committee (2021-2026) and has been published in Percussive Notes. During the summer of 2019, he completed an internship with the Grammy Award-winning Third Coast Percussion.

His previous roles include Director of Percussion Studies at Wittenberg University and Percussion Coordinator and Arranger for the University of Pittsburgh athletic and symphonic bands. He has collaborated with distinguished guest artists such as Third Cost Percussion, Valerie Naranjo, Allen Otte, Rich O’meara, Jerry Tachoir, Alex Stopa, Paul Rennick, Tom Rarick, and many others.

As a freelance musician and educator, Dunlap performs with regional orchestras and presents master classes at universities across the United States. He has coached and guest conducted for various Pennsylvania Music Educators Association events including county band percussion ensembles and all-state orchestras. Notable recent engagements include performing solo marimba at the 2024 National Conference for Percussion Pedagogy and serving as percussion faculty for the 2025 Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival.

Currently, Dunlap serves as Director of Bands at Emmanuel Christian Academy and Steel Pan Ensemble Director at the Capital University, Conservatory of Music. He is a proud educational artist for Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth, and Black Swamp Percussion.

CV Resume available upon request