Alex Tomlin, Percussion

Alex was born and raised in Wilmington, NC and has been playing drums since the age of 4. He was formally introduced to music when he joined the band at Williston Middle School, and remained in musical ensembles throughout his high school and college studies. His mother is a retired teacher from Laney High School, and his father is a retired fireman from the City of Wilmington.

In addition to his love and talent for music, he is notably known for making bow ties. Alex says, "It’s very bizarre how I started sewing. In a nutshell, I was in summer school in college and was one class short of receiving financial aid. So I added sewing to my curriculum, completely bombed the course but am now an avid sewer. Weird, I know."

Alex also relates a funny story about playing in the Wilmington Symphony: "True Story: I had the bright idea of getting my eyes dilated on a Saturday once before. Just so happens that Saturday was a Saturday we had a concert….(you see where this is going?). At any rate, the inevitable happens. It’s 8 o’clock, and I am now on stage with dilated eyes and can barely see the title of my music let alone the music itself. So what do I do? What any musician would probably do…rely heavily on your stand-partner & your remembrance of the music (including, what musicians call improvisation…ya know, a missed rest here, come in late there…no biggie). For helping me get through that challenging time, I have no one to blame but myself and no one to thank but [fellow WSO percussionist] Will Fassbender. Eternally grateful, yours truly…..signed: Alex Tomlin."

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