Vadim Karpinos is a Percussionist and Assistant Principal Timpanist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which he joined in January 2001. He was born in Kiev, Ukraine, and began showing an interest in percussion at a very early age. When he was 5 years old, he began playing drums with a children's group, and was accepted at the Revutsky Music School to study with Igor Sheremet at age 6. While at the Revustky School, he won a number of awards, including the Prize Winning Medal in 1987, an award from the Kiev Children's Philharmonic in 1989 and first prize in the former Soviet Union's Young Virtuoso competition. He also performed throughout the country and in England, and appeared on the national TV and radio.

He and his family moved to New York in 1991. He was accepted as a full-scholarship student to the pre-college program of the Julliard School and the studio of David Fein. In 1992, he was accepted to LaGuardia High School of Music and Art. While a student there, he won several awards including the Louis Smadbeck Scholarship, the Dr. Randolph Goodman award and the Morton Gould Memorial Award. He was also the first-prize winner of the ASCAP Leiber and Stoeler Scholarship.

Vadim attended the Manhattan School of Music as a full scholarship student, and studied with Christopher Lamb. He was a Tanglewood fellow and performed with numerous orchestras, including the New Jersey Symphony, the New York City Opera and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.

His father, David, and mother, Alexsandra, live in New York. His brother, Gene, is married and also lives in New York, where he works as a computer programmer. Vadim enjoys running and listening to different kinds of music. He joined the CCPA faculty in 2004.

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