Daniel Glass: The Passing of Vic Firth

From Daniel Glass:

Vic Firth (1930 - 2015)

Today we lost a true giant. We all knew him as a titan of percussion performance (50+ years with the Boston Symphony), a pioneer of drum education, and of course, the founder and namesake of one of drumming's best known and most popular brands. His name has become so synonymous with our industry that decades from now, drummers will continue to clamor for his products without knowing that there actually was a man behind the brand.

These are incredible measures of success. But Vic, I'd like to take a moment to share with you how GRATEFUL I am for the personal attributes that made you just as legendary: your warm smile, your welcoming demeanor, your meticulous attention to detail, your demand for quality, your warm and generous heart, your support in helping me to share my own vision with the world, and most importantly, your unshakable BELIEF in music, in all its glorious varieties.

We all owe you a huge debt of gratitude, and we will miss you terribly.