All About Craig Hetrick

Craig Hetrick has performed and recorded as the Assistant Principal Timpanist/Percussionist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra since 1992. His experiences prior to joining the ISO began in childhood, having been born to parents who were musicians. 

"My dad was a band director, and my mother a choir director and church organist. My dad also played professional gigs as a bass player on the side, and started teaching me to play drums when I was 8.  Then when I was around 12, he asked me to play drums for the show Mame, while he played bass. That was my first professional gig!"



As a Classical musician, Mr. Hetrick went on to become both Principal Percussionist of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, and Principal Timpanist of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic Orchestra in 1988. He won his current position with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) in 1992, and has recorded nine CDs with the orchestra. He also performed extensively with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 1986-88, including a West Coast USA tour, a stop at Carnegie Hall and a CD recording conducted by David Zinman. In 2013 he performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Louis Langree.

Mr. Hetrick has played as both Principal Timpanist and Percussionist with the ISO in most of the major concert halls of Europe, including those in Berlin, Vienna, London, Munich, Madrid, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Paris, Cologne, and Zurich, as well as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. He has performed under the batons of Leonard Slatkin, Gerard Schwartz, John Williams, Krzysztof Urbanski, Stephane Deneve, Giancarlo Guerrero, Xian Zhang, Louis Langree, Mario Venzago, Thomas Wilkins, Jun Markl, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, JoAnn Falletta, Gilbert Varga, Teddy Abrams, Marin Alsop, David Zinman, Isaac Perlman, Andrew Litton, Hans Graff, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Raymond Leppard, Robert Spano, Antal Dorati, John Nelson, Erich Kunzel, Marvin Hamlisch, Jack Everly, John Morris Russell, and Doc Severinsen.



As a performer on drum set, Mr. Hetrick has performed and toured with  Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, Jimmy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, and Al Cobine. As a drummer with the ISO he has performed with Carly Rae Jepsen (Call Me Maybe), Idina Menzel (Wicked, Rent, Frozen), Matthew Morrison (Glee, Hairspray), Frankie Moreno, and Time for Three, as well as over 60 performances with Josh Kaufman, winner of the 6th season of NBC's The Voice, including appearances on channel 13 WISH TV. In college he performed in Dominic Spera's jazz ensemble at Indiana University, the University of Delaware's jazz ensemble, and West Chester University's jazz ensemble, the "Criterions." He went on to play countless gigs such as wedding receptions, parties and clubs, many of those with his father and brother in their band Spectrum. His gig at the 5th Avenue nightclub in Dayton, Ohio included playing in the band there with Steve Weingart (Dave Weckl band). He has also recorded a CD with Hoagy Carmichael's son, Randy Carmichael, and at age 16 was selected to perform with the American Youth Jazz Band, which included a European tour. He has performed extensively in the local Indianapolis jazz scene with Cathy Morris, Jim Farrelly, Peter Keinle, and Mark Ortwein. He has appeared at the Jazz Kitchen, the Chatterbox, the Speedway Formula One Race, and many other venues.



Mr. Hetrick received his Master's Degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Delaware. His major teachers were Gerald Carlyss (Principal Timpanist, Philadelphia Orchestra), Christopher Williams (Principal Percussion/Asst. Timpani, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra), George Gaber, and Harvery Price. While at I.U., he was awarded the coveted "Performer's Certificate" and performed a solo percussion piece in Carnegie Recital Hall with the IU Soloists. He has also studied with Jim Chapin (Craig studied the Moeller Method with Jim and teaches it), Alan Abel, William Schinstine, and Richard Weiner.



Mr. Hetrick has over forty years of experience teaching private students. He has taught at Butler University since 1995, and has taught at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music for a total of 6 years, most recently in the Spring of 2022. Former students have gone on to win auditions for orchestral and military band jobs including with the Minnesota Orchestra, The President's Own Marine Band, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, The Tucson Symphony Orchestra,  The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, The Omaha Symphony Orchestra, The USAF Heritage of America Band, The United States Navy Concert Band, The 8th Army Band in South Korea and The Dallas Brass. Younger students have gone on to be accepted at prestigious music schools such as the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, The Cleveland Institute of Music, Rice University, Carnegie Mellon University, The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Temple University, Cleveland State University, DePaul University, Butler University, Berklee College of Music, and Belmont University.



His composition Tip of the Andes (published by Southern Music), has been performed by percussion ensembles throughout the US and Europe, including a performance by "The President's Own" Marine Band, and was reviewed in Percussive Notes magazine.

He has presented clinics at Indiana University, Butler University, Ball State University, and twice at PASIC: 2004 in Nashville, TN, and 2009 in Indianapolis.

Mr. Hetrick is a proud endorser of Pearl/Adams, Evans, Vic Firth, and Sabian products.