Dr. Dave Gerhart is the Artist Relations Partner for Yamaha, as well as a nationally recognized performer, composer and educator. Gerhart holds a D.M.A. from the University of Southern California, an M.M. in Percussion Performance and Instrumental Conducting, and a B.M. in Music Education from California State University, Long Beach. Before joining Yamaha, Gerhart was a Yamaha Performing Artist. He now travels the country sharing his passion for music education. In his free time, he teaches at the CSULB Steel Drum Orchestra and has published works for percussion and steel drum ensembles.
Ian Wudyka is the northeast district manager of the band and orchestral division at Yamaha. He joined the company in 2014 as a percussion intern soon after receiving his bachelor’s degree in entertainment marketing from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and was promoted to percussion product specialist before becoming an associate district manager in 2016. Wudyka has earned the Yamaha Note Award and the division’s Marketing Star Award.
An avid percussionist, Ian has a rich history with Drum Corps International, performing with the Cadets Drum & Bugle Corp from 2009 to 2011 and winning a DCI championship with the corps in 2011. He also played with the Minuteman Marching Band at UMass Amherst and arranged works for the school’s Marimba Band.
