Abby Fisher is a percussionist and educator who is focused on performing and supporting continued growth of new music.
Her solo and collaborative performances have been heard nationally and internationally including: Stony Brook University's TEDx (Stony Brook, NY), Transplanted Roots Percussion Symposium (Brisbane, Australia; Guanajuato, Mexico; San Diego, CA), New Music Gathering (Baltimore and Boston), Festival Internacional de Músicas y Artes Sonoras Contemporáneas (Cuenca, Ecuador), Big Ears Festival (Knoxville,TN), Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, and One World Trade Center (NYC).
Abby is a dedicated educator and in August 2022, she will start as the Assistant Professor of Percussion at Northern Arizona University. She previously taught at University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Pellissippi State Community College. She has presented recitals, lectures, and masterclasses around the USA and internationally, including: Carleton College, Western Carolina University, Northern Illinois University New Music Festival, Tennessee Day of Percussion, Festival Internacional de Musica Academia Contemporanea, University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina- Greensboro, Ithaca College, and Arizona State University. Abby currently serves as a member of the Percussive Arts Society New Music/ Research Committee and is co-hosting the New Music/ Research Day for PASIC 2022.
Abby is a co-founder of the percussion duo Fisher/Lau Project with Matthew Lau, and she is regularly collaborating with composers and musicians on new works. In February 2019, she worked with percussionist Steven Schick and Pulitzer Prize winning composer Roger Reynolds for the inaugural ‘Cross-Wired’ performance/workshop at University of California, San Diego. At the 2019 Big Ears Festival, Abby performed with Grammy winning vocal project Roomful of Teeth for the concert “Triptych” by Bryce Dessner. She recently co-commissioned and recorded the multiple percussion and speaking voice work ‘Correspondence’ (2019) from composer Andrea Mazzariello.
Abby is the Managing Director for Nief-Norf, and works with the NN team to produce the annual Nief-Norf Summer Festival, where more than fifty international participants experience an engaging environment of collaboration, experimentation, and support.
Abby holds degrees from Stony Brook University (D.M.A), New York University (M.M), and Lawrence University (B.M). While completing her doctoral work, she served as a graduate teaching assistant in ethnomusicology and assisted with VOLTA, Stony Brook University’s West African Music ensemble. She has been fortunate to study with Dane Richeson, Eduardo Leandro, Beverley Johnston, Jonathan Haas, James Saporito, Simon Boyar, Nani Agbeli, Faith Conant, Joe Ludwig, Jamie Ryan, Michael Spiro, and Janet Cramer. In the summer of 2010, Abby continued her study of Ewe drumming and dancing at the Dagbe Cultural Center in Kopeyia, Ghana.
Abby is a Marimba One, Vic Firth, and Black Swamp Percussion artist.
Her solo and collaborative performances have been heard nationally and internationally including: Stony Brook University's TEDx (Stony Brook, NY), Transplanted Roots Percussion Symposium (Brisbane, Australia; Guanajuato, Mexico; San Diego, CA), New Music Gathering (Baltimore and Boston), Festival Internacional de Músicas y Artes Sonoras Contemporáneas (Cuenca, Ecuador), Big Ears Festival (Knoxville,TN), Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, and One World Trade Center (NYC).
Abby is a dedicated educator and in August 2022, she will start as the Assistant Professor of Percussion at Northern Arizona University. She previously taught at University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Pellissippi State Community College. She has presented recitals, lectures, and masterclasses around the USA and internationally, including: Carleton College, Western Carolina University, Northern Illinois University New Music Festival, Tennessee Day of Percussion, Festival Internacional de Musica Academia Contemporanea, University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina- Greensboro, Ithaca College, and Arizona State University. Abby currently serves as a member of the Percussive Arts Society New Music/ Research Committee and is co-hosting the New Music/ Research Day for PASIC 2022.
Abby is a co-founder of the percussion duo Fisher/Lau Project with Matthew Lau, and she is regularly collaborating with composers and musicians on new works. In February 2019, she worked with percussionist Steven Schick and Pulitzer Prize winning composer Roger Reynolds for the inaugural ‘Cross-Wired’ performance/workshop at University of California, San Diego. At the 2019 Big Ears Festival, Abby performed with Grammy winning vocal project Roomful of Teeth for the concert “Triptych” by Bryce Dessner. She recently co-commissioned and recorded the multiple percussion and speaking voice work ‘Correspondence’ (2019) from composer Andrea Mazzariello.
Abby is the Managing Director for Nief-Norf, and works with the NN team to produce the annual Nief-Norf Summer Festival, where more than fifty international participants experience an engaging environment of collaboration, experimentation, and support.
Abby holds degrees from Stony Brook University (D.M.A), New York University (M.M), and Lawrence University (B.M). While completing her doctoral work, she served as a graduate teaching assistant in ethnomusicology and assisted with VOLTA, Stony Brook University’s West African Music ensemble. She has been fortunate to study with Dane Richeson, Eduardo Leandro, Beverley Johnston, Jonathan Haas, James Saporito, Simon Boyar, Nani Agbeli, Faith Conant, Joe Ludwig, Jamie Ryan, Michael Spiro, and Janet Cramer. In the summer of 2010, Abby continued her study of Ewe drumming and dancing at the Dagbe Cultural Center in Kopeyia, Ghana.
Abby is a Marimba One, Vic Firth, and Black Swamp Percussion artist.