David Kuo is a senior percussion performance major. David is one of this year’s Undergraduate Concerto Competition winners and performed Paul Creston’s Concertino for Marimba with the Ball State Symphony Orchestra.  

“I was born in Akron Ohio, went to high school in Georgetown IN at Floyd Central, and my parents are currently living in Baltimore Maryland. I started playing piano when I was 6 years old with Tatsuya Nagashima. In the second semester of my junior year in high school, I was asked to play marimba for band because of a lack of players. Since then I poured time into percussion to learn all of the other major instruments. 

“Some of my favorite memories at Ball State have been late night rehearsals with the percussionists in preparation for concerts or recitals. There’s something really special about making music with a close group of friends at ridiculous times, because it shows the love you have for music and the love you have for each other.  

“One important factor in choosing Ball State was the Honors College and the opportunities presented here, along with a fantastic percussion instructor. I also received the Whitinger Scholarship which sealed the deal for me. The Honors College at Ball State provided tons of opportunities like undergraduate fellowships and travel opportunities. The classes are structured as interdisciplinary discussions which provided a great break in the day from the music course load along with exercising different parts of my brain. It also helped me meet many friends from different majors that had led to unique collaboration between disciplines.”