John Wyre

John Harvey Wyre (17 May 1941 – 31 October 2006) was a U.S.-born Canadian percussionist, composer, and music educator. He worked as percussionist with a number of important orchestras in North America, notably serving for many years as the principal timpanist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He was a founding member of the percussion ensemble Nexus, with which he performed for over 30 years. He was also Artistic Director of World Drums with whom he organized and directed performances at several major international events. His music compositions have been performed by ensembles throughout the world, including the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra, and the Japan Philharmonic among others.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wyre began studying the percussion at age 15 with Fred Hinger, a percussionist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He remained Hinger's student until 1959 when he entered the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. He studied under William Street at Eastman, earning a Bachelor of Music there in 1964.

Wyre began his performance career as a percussionist with the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra in 1964-1965 and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 1965-1966. He then immigrated to Canada to become a timpanist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, serving in that capacity from 1966–1971 and again from 1975-1981. In 1971 he co-founded the percussion ensemble Nexus with whom he remained active until 2002. He also performed frequently at the New Music Concerts beginning in 1972. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1972.

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