Richard Janicki (owner of Janson Percussion), is a freelance percussionist in Chicago and a longtime member of both the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and Northwest Indiana Symphony. His tenure with the Illinois Philharmonic includes being engaged as the featured soloist for children's programming. Richard frequently performs with the Lyric Opera, Joffrey Ballet, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, as well as other regional orchestras. He has toured with the CSO, to Carnegie Hall with Pierre Boulez, Joffrey Ballet, and Chicago Sinfonietta. Throughout his 30+ year career, Richard has played with such diverse acts as Eddie Vedder, Billy Idol, Seth McFarland, Josh Groben, Johnny Mathis, Pete Townsend, Olivia Newton John, The Moody Blues, Kansas, The Four Tops, to name a few. Richard graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Masters in Percussion Performance from DePaul University in 1991.