Renowned session drummer, Ash Soan, and an all-star drummer jury selected the winners of Drum Mastery 2019, a Shure contest aimed at giving unsung percussionists the glory they deserve.
The grand prize goes to Daniel Kelly II, a drummer from Hampton, Virginia, in the United States. Daniel’s creative approach and colourful rhythmic styles won over the jury. His playing styles include gospel, jazz, r&b, rock, latin, and even classical.
Kelly will receive a five-day, all-expenses paid trip to London, where he will take part in a masterclass with Soan, and a drum-miking workshop with a pro studio engineer at Metropolis Studios. His prize also includes $5,000 worth of Shure gear.
Second place goes to Matthias Knorr from Germany, while Carlos Arturo Hernández Cubillos from Colombia placed third. They will receive $3,000 and $1,000 in Shure gear, respectively.
“The talent from around the world that I’ve seen during the Shure Drum Mastery competition has been fantastic,” says Soan. “It’s been an honour to be involved with Shure and all the drummers.”
Kelly topped a field of more than 1,000 video submissions from 38 countries. Drummers were required to showcase their skills by playing solo without any musical accompaniment. Videos uploaded to the contest website had to collect at least 50 votes from the public to be considered for further judging.
After Shure determined 38 country winners, the jury, consisting of Ash Soan (UK), Taylor Gordon (US), Tobias Derer (GER), Takashi Kashikura (JPN), and Shiguang Cui (CHN), selected the top three finalists. Each country winner received a prize package, including a Shure MV88+ Video Kit and a pair of Shure SE215 sound isolating Bluetooth Earphones.