Kevin C. McDonald [Ph.D., Catholic Univ.; M.M., Manhattan School of Music] is a passionate musicologist and an acclaimed jazz drummer. From The Kennedy Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center to The White House, he has shared the concert stage with Dave Liebman, Mark Turner, Paquito D’Rivera, Miguel Zenon, Maria Schneider, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, the late Lee Konitz, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and the New York City Ballet. He serves as Adjunct Professor of Applied Jazz Percussion at George Mason University and as drummer for the U.S. Navy Band Commodores, the Navy's premier jazz ensemble. His Ph.D. dissertation, "Hearing the American Civil Rights Movement in the Music of Max Roach," was published in 2021. He has presented for prestigious academic fora, including the American Musicological Society (AMS), Jazz Education Network (JEN), Midwest Clinic, and National Museum of the U.S. Navy. He is a proud endorsing artist for Yamaha drums, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth drumsticks, and Remo drumheads.