Quinlan Kirchner (b. December 14, 1981) is a drummer, composer, improvisor & DJ from Chicago, Illinois. He first started his musical studies at the age of 10 at the famed Academy of Movement and Music of Oak Park and later at the Merit Music Program of Chicago. Learning from Chicago educator, Don Skoog, his studies soon grew to include the traditions of Afro-Cuban drumming, taking him to Havana, Cuba to study under acclaimed percussionists José Eládio, Omar Rojas & Don Poncho Terry. His early exposure to expressive arts and dedicated practice led him to earn a Basin Street Scholarship to the University of New Orleans, led by Ellis Marsalis, at the age of 18. There, Kirchner learned under the guidance of the city’s drumming masters including Ricky Sebastian, Jason Marsalis, Troy Davis and Johnny Vidacovich, as well as great musician/educators Harold Batiste, Edward Petersen, & Terence Blanchard, among others. His undergraduate studies led to a B.A. in Music, Jazz Studies, and the Gregory Frederico Senior of the Year Award. It was also while in New Orleans that Kirchner began his career as a performing & recording artist with QMRplus, Red Shift, The Other Planets, The Hall Monitors, Jeff Albert Trio & Quartet, Adam Croce, Irene Sage, Ed Petersen and others. After the dislocation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Kirchner moved to New York for Masters Degree studies at the Manhattan School of Music under John Riley before relocating to Chicago.
In the years since his return to his native Chicago, Kirchner has become a ubiquitous drumming force throughout the city's diverse music scene. He has led countless large & small groups including the Broste/Beach/Kirchner Trio, Head with Wings, Ear to the Ground, Golombisky/Kirchner Duo, Lost Levels, Kirchner/Van Duerm/Lux, Rob Clearfield/Quin Kirchner Duo & The Quin Kirchner Trio, Quartet, Ensemble & Group. In 2006, he was commissioned by the Umbrella Music Organization to compose and perform a 4-movement piece for string quartet & percussion entitled The Quagmire String Quartets. In 2010 he was selected as a member of the New Generation, a cross-cultural exchange in Dortmund, Germany led by Georg Graewe and Tobias Delias as part of the Ruhr 2010 Cultural Capital of Europe.
Kirchner is widely known as a popular sideman performing with such musicians as Rob Mazurek, Jeb Bishop, Jeff Parker, Greg Ward, Bobby Broom, Dave Rempis, Paul Giallorenzo, Mars Williams, Ryley Walker, Nick Mazzarella, Nate Lepine, Dave Miller, Jason Stein, Rob Clearfield, Keefe Jackson & Matt Ulery to name a few. He has toured, performed and recorded with many different groups including Greg Ward's Fitted Shards & Rogue Parade, Matt Ulery’s Delicate Charms & Pollinator, The Nate Lepine Quartet, The Nick Mazzarella Quintet, Bill MacKay's Darts & Arrows, Paul Giallorenzo's GitGo, The Lucky 7s, blink., ZING!, Health&Beauty, In Tall Buildings, NOMO & Wild Belle, among others. His musical talents have been showcased on stages all across North America and in over 20 countries around the world in various venues, most notably The Chicago Jazz Festival, The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Festival Jazz International (Nijmegen/Rotterdam, NE), The Montreal Jazz Festival, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, The Vancouver Jazz Festival, Austin City Limits Festival, Voodoo Music & Arts Experience, Lollapalooza, Coachella, Outside Lands, Ohana Festival, Hangout Festival, Firefly Festival, Made in Chicago Festival (Poznan, PL), Music Meeting Festival (Nijmegen, NE), Sideways Festival (Helsinki, FI), Azkena Rock Festival (Vitoria-Gasteiz, SP), Festival Jazz International (Rotterdam & Nijmegen, NE), Au Foin De La Rue (St. Denis, FR), Festival Corona Capital (Mexico City, DF), and many more.
In 2018, Kirchner released his debut album as a leader, The Other Side Of Time, a sprawling 90-minute collage of jazz, beats & improvisations, called "the first great jazz album of 2018" by Chicago Reader's Peter Margasak. It was well received by critics, named an album of the year by Bandcamp Daily, a top 5 "Best Debut" in the NPR Jazz Critics Poll & given four stars in Downbeat & All About Jazz. In August 2018, The Quin Kirchner Group performed at the 40th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival and in toured the South and Midwest, appearing at Cropped Out Festival in October 2018 and followed that up in early 2020 with their first European tour, performing concerts in The Netherlands & Belgium.
In 2020, Kirchner released the follow-up to The Other Side of Time entitled The Shadows and The Light. In similar fashion to his debut album, his second album is a long-form musical journey, covering a wide range of styles and showcasing influences such as Elvin Jones, Sun Ra, Phil Cohran, Carla Bley & Charles Mingus. Upon release, it received glowing reviews from Chicago Reader, Bandcamp Daily, All About Jazz and Pitchfork, which awarded it a rare 8.0 score.
The Other Side Of Time & The Shadows and The Light are available now via Astral Spirits/Spacetone Recordings.
View and listen to Kirchner’s complete DISCOGRAPHY HERE.
EDUCATION
Manhattan School of Music, New York, NY
Major: Jazz Performance – Drum set
Masters of Music - Partial Degree
University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
Major: Jazz Performance – Drum set, Minor: History
Bachelor of Arts, Graduated December 2004
Gregory Frederico Senior of the Year Award Recipient
St. Ignatius College Prep, Chicago, IL
High School Diploma, Graduated 2000
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Jazz Instructor - Guimaraes Jazz, Guimaraes, Portugal (2018)
Drum & Piano Teacher - Allegro Music Center, Park Ridge, IL (2010-2016) Drum Teacher - Andy's Music, Chicago IL (2006-2015)
Drum Teacher - Private Studio, Chicago, IL (2006-Present)
Percussion Instructor - South Terrebone High School, Houma, LA (2002-2003) Drum Teacher - Private Studio, New Orleans, LA (2001-2005)
AWARDS, GRANTS, COMMISSIONS & INVITATIONS
2020 - DCASE Individual Artist Program Grant
2019 - 6018|North - Water Music on the Beach (Solo Percussion)
2019 - DCASE Individual Artist Program Grant
2018 - Bandcamp Daily - Best Jazz Albums of 2018 - The Other Side Of Time
2018 - Pop Matters - Best of 2018 - The Other Side Of Time
2018 - Magnet Magazine - Best of 2018: Jazz/Improv - The Other Side Of Time
2018 - NPR Jazz Critics Poll - Best Debut - The Other Side Of Time
2018 - DCASE Individual Artist Program Grant
2010 - Ruhr.2010 - European Cultural Capital, Dortmund, DE - Georg Graewe presents The New Generation 2007 - Commission for Umbrella Music's Downtown Sound at Gallery 37 - The Quagmire String Quartets