David Kent has been Principal Timpanist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since 1981 and Orchestra Personnel Manager since 1987. He was born and raised in central Toronto, and he began playing drums after a strong dose of Frank Sinatra in his childhood. Upon his discovery of the Timpani, he felt drawn to explore the world of percussion, not only of western culture, but of the many non-western cultures in which percussion is a central force. He received his Bachelors and Masters Degree in Performance and Ethnomusicology from the University of Toronto. During his studies with such teachers as Timpanist Fred Hinger and South Indian Mrdangam virtuoso Trichy Sankaran, David traveled the globe and collected a vast number of instruments from various cultures. He went on to commission and record many new works for solo percussion from composers such as Claude Vivier, Henry Kucharzyk and John Hawkins. In addition he has appeared as soloist with the National Youth Orchestra, the World Philharmonic Orchestra and The Toronto Symphony Orchestra and he has directed several chamber music series in Toronto such as Array Music. At various times, he has also contracted many interesting musical projects such as those for the Three Tenors and many video and television recordings.

In his spare time, David is an OTA-ranked tennis player, an ardent bicyclist and scuba diver, a keen home restoration enthusiast, an avid reader of history, and a very involved father of four children of various ages.