Tom’s Bio

Tom Hipskind has been playing drums for well over 30 years.  He received his undergraduate degree in jazz performance at Northern Illinois University, where he played with the NIU Jazz Ensemble and accompanied many jazz legends, before doing graduate work at DePaul University and taking residence in the Chicago area.  He has performed, recorded and toured extensively with many artists, such as Howard Levy, Kenny Werner, Patricia Barber, Fred Simon, Kimo Williams’ Kimotion, Heather Headley, Gary Sinise’s Lt. Dan Band, John Elmquist’s HardArt Groop, Aaron McEvers’ M13 and many others. He’s a member of the Chicago-based jazz/fusion group Kick The Cat, and is on the band’s latest CD, “Scramble”.  Tom is a highly-regarded studio musician, having recorded on dozens of TV and radio commercials, film soundtracks, and record dates.  He’s also found a home in Broadway-style pit orchestras, performing on Chicago-based productions of “The Lion King”, “Shrek”, “Dirty Dancing”, “West Side Story” and “The Book Of Mormon”.  He’s currently playing the drum part on the Chicago production of the multiple Tony and Grammy-winning Broadway smash hit “Hamilton”.  From 2004 to 2017, Tom was adjunct faculty in the music department at Columbia College Chicago, teaching private lessons and classes.  He keeps an active teaching schedule out of his home studio.  Tom plays Sabian cymbals cymbals and Vic Firth drumsticks exclusively.