Marimba One Artists

Danielle Sum is a multidisciplinary artist who works primarily as a percussionist and educator based in Toronto, Canada who is passionate about fusing her musical practice with things that are meaningful to her, such as community, curiosity, and collaboration.

As a solo and chamber performer, Danielle was most recently featured in the inaugural Tyndale University Music Faculty Recital series, having joined the university as a drums and percussion instructor in September 2024. She was also featured musician for the 2018 Music Mondays summer concert series, performing works for piano and mallet percussion. During her postsecondary education, Danielle was a co-winner of the Rouge River concerto competition in their 2017-18 season, as well as the University of Toronto Winds Concerto Competition in 2015, and was also a finalist in the Orchestra Toronto Marta Hidy Competition in 2016.  

One of her most meaningful musical projects is performing as a lead vocalist and mallet percussionist in indie-pop band Tiger Balme. Creating sonic spaces of tender resilience through their art, the band has released an eponymous debut album in November 2022, with plans to release new music in the near future. Danielle has also been developing her voice as a songwriter, releasing her debut EP "Still, Softness" in March 2022, written primarily for voice and marimba.

Danielle believes in the importance of lifelong learning and has received her Masters of Art in music education from the University of Toronto in 2021, with her research focusing on culture, context, and pedagogy. She has performed in masterclasses for She-E Wu, Katarzyna Mycka, and Conrado Moya, and enjoys enhancing her own musical education by attending seminars and festivals such as the Croatia Summer Marimba Festival (2024) and the International Katarzyna Mycka Marimba Academy (2017, 2019).

Sum received her BMus degree in music education from the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, where she studied with Beverley Johnston, John Rudolph, and Mark Duggan. When she is not making or teaching music, she can be found working as a portrait and wedding photographer, going for a run, or being stumped by the New York Times Connections game.