Dave DiMuro, percussion

Here's an interview with Dave in 2020:​

What instrument(s) do you play?
Orchestral Percussion, Drum Set, Steel Drums. Anything you can hit to make a sound.

How long have you played your instrument(s)?
I started taking drum lessons in 4th grade, so I have been playing for 39 years.

How long have you been a Wilmington Symphony Orchestra musician?
I started playing in 1995 when I was at ECU.
I have played off and on since then.

What do you do for a career?
I am a music educator at D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy where I teach Kindergarten through 8th-grade students.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Rochester, NY

What is your favorite song, artist, and/or musical memory?
My favorite musical memory is when I had an epiphany playing drums for the jazz jam at the Rusty Nail, Wilmington, NC, June 1999...??!

When performing I had always had a problem with nerves and second-guessing myself, which was exacerbated during my years getting my masters.

As I was playing that night at Rusty Nail, for some reason, it just popped in my head that I was tired of feeling like that, and I didn't have to. The revelation was an amazingly freeing experience and led me to greater appreciate and enjoy music.

Favorite meal or restaurant?
I love me some Panyang Curry from Indochine.

Favorite beverage?
I have recently developed a taste for fruit-flavored seltzer water. On the more "grown-up" side of things, I love Cucumber Gin Gimlets.

What is your favorite vacation?
I went on an incredible two-week trip to Ghana. It was facilitated by three inspiring teachers through the American Orff Schelwerk Association. Twenty-seven other music educators from all over the world also went. We stayed in Dzodze, in the Volta region, where our lead teacher Dr. Kofi Gbolonyo grew up and was beginning to build the Nunya Music Academy (www.nunyaacademy.com). Witnessing the various ceremonies and celebrations, being welcomed by the children and people of the village, and learning about the culture was a life-changing experience.


You're stuck on a desert island... What book, music/album/artist and/or movie do you want with you??
Book - I would probably need a How to Survive on a Deserted Island book.

Album- Yes, Close to the Edge

Movie- The Three Amigos

What's your pet situation?
We have a beautiful soft-wired-hair, (not so) miniature dachshund named CeCe.

What do you want people to know about the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra?
The growth I have witnessed in the twenty-plus years is inspiring. Dr. Errante has been the conductor the whole time and is a strong asset. I always see him going above and beyond his conductor "role" to make sure the performances are the best they can be. He moves, packs, and sets-up percussion instrument for christ's sake!

How are you keeping yourself occupied while being at home all day?
I, like all teachers, are trying to figure out this new digital teaching model. Other than that, I've been learning to use music and video editing software Ableton and Premiere Pro and playing "social-distanced" disc golf at the park.

Any words of wisdom to help others through this?
Don't do it alone. Ask others for help when you need it and help others when you can.

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