GRAMMY-nominated percussionist Justin DeHart is recognised for his versatility across classical, pop, world, and electronic music traditions. Originally from Sacramento, California, he has built an international career that bridges genres and cultures. A member of the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet (LAPQ) from 2009 to 2022, his performing credits include the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, LA Phil New Music Group, I.C.E., red fish blue fish, and collaborations with Stewart Copeland and Cheap Trick.
His primary percussion teachers include Daniel Kennedy, John Bergamo, and Steven Schick. Deeply influenced by Indian percussion traditions, Justin has been a North Indian tabla disciple of Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri (Lucknow gharana) since 1999, and has also studied with Pt. Arup Chattopadhyay (Farukkhabad gharana). He travelled to India to study South Indian drumming with T.H. Vikku Vinayakaram and was later awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study mridangam with T.H. Subash Chandran for nine months in 2001.
Justin appears on over 100 recordings spanning solo, chamber, and contemporary projects on labels such as Innova, HatHut, Mode, Sub Pop, and Rattle Records. His debut album, Strange Paths, was lauded by Percussive Notes as “mesmerizing” for its “palette of sounds and intricate weaving of lines.” The Complete Early Percussion Works of Karlheinz Stockhausen on MODE Records won the German Critics’ Prize (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik) for the best new music release of 2015. His solo projects Landfall: NZ Percussion Vol. 1 and Towards Midnight: NZ Percussion Vol. 2 were finalists for Te Kaipuoro Inamata Toa | Best Classical Artist at the 2021 and 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards, respectively.
Holding degrees from CSU Sacramento (B.M.), CalArts (M.F.A.), and UC San Diego (D.M.A.), Justin brings extensive performance and academic experience to his role as Professor of Music at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is a YAMAHA Performing Artist and endorses Black Swamp Percussion, REMO, Sabian, and Innovative Percussion Inc.
