Our Story
ManhattanPercussion
- Since 1999, ManhattanPercussion has been providing NYC's music, entertainment and travel industries with the highest quality orchestral equipment and backline. I'd like to say that I started this business with a keen entrepreneurial vision but the truth is that 30 years ago I was just trying to find good quality rental equipment for my own gigs as a percussionist right out of music school. I knew nothing about the rental business and (to be honest) had no interest in learning. Over time as the gigs kept coming I managed to buy 2 timpani, chimes and a bass drum and took it from there...
...and from there in the short space of 25 years ManhattanPercussion has grown into a company with an international reputation and clientele. In addition to having one of the world's most comprehensive percussion instrumentoriums, our inventory now includes harp, string bass and celli. We also carry a full range of backline, sound and production equipment. Our instruments have graced the stages of the Salzburg Festival and Carnegie Hall. Our clients have ranged from youth groups in small venues to the major resident ensembles of Lincoln Center. What started out as a small and highly select collection of instruments meant only for one professional's use (my own) has grown twenty-fold, and is now available to all of our clients and anyone who wishes to become one.
As I look out over 2025 amidst planning for our 26th season I'd like to welcome all clientele: Old, New and Prospective. As a native-born New Yorker and business owner, I've been witness to radical (and often disturbing) change. While much may be new, our focus on quality, consistency and attention to detail isn't. In fact we know that our stubborn obsession with quality and value is the reason that we're here in the first place. I've worked hard to build a dual career as both performer and business owner and I feel that this straddle has given me a unique perspective. As a musician whose professional life began in the mid-1990's I've learned first-hand about the challenges that not just percussionists but all musicians face when trying to perform in NYC. As a business owner I have developed strong working relationships with our major concert halls, studios, hotels, and rehearsal spaces. I have also gained a valuable logistical knowledge about our City and its performance venues that only years of field work could yield. So whether you're a musician, producer or administrator, I'd like to invite you to take a look around and I hope you'll consider letting ManhattanPercussion put its resources, knowledge and experience to work for you.
Sincerely,
Glen Wilkofsky
Owner and Founder
ManhattanPercussion LLC
