Faculty Connections
Faculty Connections

About this site

Faculty Connections is an aggregation of UNC Charlotte faculty profiles.

Full-time faculty who want to update their profile information, see:
Connection Update

UNC Charlotte faculty and staff can log in with their NinerNET user accounts.
Log In

Colleges & Departments

  • ►Belk College of Business
    • ►Business Info Systems/Operations
    • ►Economics
    • ►Finance
    • ►Management
    • ►Marketing
    • ►Turner School of Accountancy
  • ▼College of Arts + Architecture
    • ►Art & Art History
    • ►Dance
    • ▼Music
      • Audrey Babcock
      • Brian Arreola
      • Christina Pier
      • David Russell
      • Dylan Savage
      • Elizabeth Sullivan
      • Eric Millard
      • Eric Posada
      • Evelyn Orman
      • Fred Spano
      • Hunter Kopczynski
      • Jacqueline Yost
      • James Grymes
      • Jason Dungee
      • Jennifer Whitaker
      • Jeremy Marks
      • Jessica Lindsey
      • Joe Skillen
      • Jonah Elrod
      • Kelsey Klotz
      • Mira Frisch
      • Rick Dior
      • Sequina DuBose
      • Shawn Smith
      • Shayna Stahl
      • Will Campbell
    • ►Performing Arts Services
    • ►School of Architecture
    • ►Theatre
    • Brook Muller
  • ►College of Computing & Informatics
    • ►Bioinformatics and Genomics
    • ►Bioinformatics Research Center
    • ►Computer Science
    • ►Software & Information Systems
  • ►College of Education
    • ►Counseling
    • ►Ctr For STEM Education
    • ►Educational Leadership
    • ►Middle Grades Secondary & K-12
    • ►Reading & Elementary ED
    • ►School & Community Partnerships
    • ►Special Ed & Child Dev
  • ►College of Health & Human Services
    • ►Appl Phys Hlth & Clin Sci
    • ►Kinesiology
    • ►Public Health Sciences
    • ►School of Nursing
    • ►School of Social Work
  • ►College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences
    • ►Africana Studies
    • ►Anthropology
    • ►Communication Studies
    • ►Criminal Justice and Criminology
    • ►English
    • ►Geography and Earth Sciences
    • ►Global Studies
    • ►History
    • ►Languages and Culture Studies
    • ►Philosophy
    • ►Political Science and Public Administration
    • ►Psychological Science
    • ►Religious Studies
    • ►Sociology
    • ►Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies
  • ►College of Science
    • ►Biological Sciences
    • ►Chemistry
    • ►Mathematics and Statistics
    • ►Physics and Optical Science
  • ►Lee College of Engineering
    • ►Civil and Environmental Engr
    • ►Electrical & Computer Engineering
    • ►Engineering Tech & Constr Mgmt
    • ►EPIC
    • ►Mech Engineering & Engineering Sci
    • ►Student Dev & Success
    • ►Systems Engin & Engin Management
  • ►School of Data Science (SDS)

Programs, Centers & Initiatives

  • ►Center for Applied Geographic Information Science
  • ►Metropolitan Studies
    • ►Urban Institute

Full-Text Search

Rick Dior

Music
composition
jazz
music
orchestra
percussion
producer
recording
recording engineering
timpani
Related People
Jessica Lindsey
David Russell
Dean Adams
Tonya Wertz-Orbaugh
Joe Skillen
Lynn Raymond
Brian Arreola
Audrey Babcock
Robin James
David Fillmore
Cathy Mahaffey
Evelyn Orman
Ronald Lunsford
Vaughn Schmutz
Elizabeth Yoder
Dylan Savage
Jacqueline Yost
Audrey Baran
Gretchen Pratt
Albert Wray
Meaghan Rand
Eric Posada
Fred Spano
Christina Pier
Shayna Stahl
James Grymes
Benjamin Stickels
Will Campbell
Kelsey Klotz
Eric Millard
Rebecca Agosta
Ashlyn Walden
Hunter Kopczynski
Karen Hubbard
Sequina DuBose
Jonah Elrod
Jeremy Marks
Mira Frisch
Jennifer Whitaker
Shawn Smith
Aaron Toscano
Linda Hofmann
Elizabeth Sullivan

Rick Dior is a Senior Lecturer of Percussion in the Department of Music. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Rick Dior began his professional music career at the age of thirteen, freelancing in and around the metropolitan area in various small ensembles, orchestras, and theater productions. He is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with timpanist Fred Hinger and jazz composer Bob Mintzer. He also studied extensively with famed jazz drummer Joe Morello.

Rick has performed as a percussionist with a variety of superb artists in many musical genres including James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Al Jarreau, Roberta Flack, Martina McBride, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Linda Rondstadt, Glen Campbell, Bobby McFerrin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Randy Newman, and Marvin Hamlisch. He has added his drum set talents to performances with many great jazz artists including Marvin Stamm, Bill Watrous, Rich Perry, Harold Danko, Clark Terry, Red Rodney, Chris Potter, Lionel Hampton, and Russell Malone. Rick also has an extensive orchestral percussion background and has performed as principal percussionist, section percussionist and timpanist with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Ballet, and Opera Carolina since 1990.

As a first-call theater percussionist and drummer in Charlotte, NC, Rick has performed in dozens of Broadway show tours. Shows include Chorus Line, Jesus Christ Superstar, Wicked, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Spamalot, Hairspray, South Pacific, West Side Story, 9 to 5, Mary Poppins, Bring It On, Newsies, and Beautiful.

His recording credits are extensive and include CD releases, movie soundtracks, and commercial radio/television spots. As an engineer and producer, Rick has been involved in hundreds of recordings. These include recording projects with artists such as Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Ed Thigpen, Harry Connick Jr., Micheal Spiro, Joey Calderazzo, Michael Carvin, and Jimmy Cobb.

Rick is a very active educator and has served as the Professor of Percussion at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte since 2001. He also maintains a busy private and online teaching studio. His students have gone on to attend many prestigious music institutions such as The Julliard School of Music, The Manhattan School of Music, The Cincinnati Conservatory, The Oberlin School of Music, The Eastman School of Music, North Texas State University, and The University of Miami. Many of these former students are active as professional musicians and teachers. As a composer, Rick has written many compositions for percussion ensemble, orchestras, and jazz ensembles. In 2018, Rick was commissioned to orchestrate his composition Science Fiction for a tour of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. His compositions are published by Tapspace. Rick currently has endorsements with Vic Firth Drumsticks, Mike Balter Mallets, Paiste Cymbals, and Doc Sweeney Drums. Visit his Youtube channel.

See more on his faculty profile at coaa.uncc.edu >>
  • Alerts
  • Jobs
  • Make a Gift
  • Maps / Directions
  • Accessibility IconAccessibility
Follow UNC Charlotte
Facebook Blogger Twitter Flickr YouTube
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 · 704-687-UNCC (8622) © 2014 UNC Charlotte | All Rights Reserved | Terms of Use | Policy Statements | Contact Us
Skip to toolbar
  • Log In