Photo: Prestor / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Virgil Donati

ヴァージル・ドナティ　/　ゔぁーじる・どなてぃ

Drummer from Australia

October 22, 1958 (age 67)　・　Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Victoria
drummer
pianist
session musician

My Take

Virgil Donati is one of those drummers other drummers talk about in hushed tones, and once you hear him you understand why. The Australian-born musician, who plays traditional grip and is fluent at the keyboard too, built Planet X with Derek Sherinian and wrote most of that band's material. That composer-first mindset is what wins me over; he's not just a technician hammering out fills, he thinks structurally about the whole piece. Born in Melbourne in 1958, he's spent decades as a session player and educator who clearly treats rhythm as a serious discipline. I'd point any aspiring player straight to his catalog as a masterclass.

Overview

Virgil Donati (born 22 October 1958) is an Australian drummer, composer and producer. He holds the drum sticks in the traditional style and is also proficient at the keyboard. Donati formed Planet X with Derek Sherinian and was the band's principal composer on all their albums.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): Virgil Donati
Name (Japanese): ヴァージル・ドナティ
Reading: ゔぁーじる・どなてぃ
Born: October 22, 1958 (age 67)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Libra / Dog
Origin: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: drummer / pianist / session musician

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Private
University: Private

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

Official sitehttps://www.virgildonati.com/
Xhttps://x.com/virgil_donati
Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%B4%E3%82%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%83%89%E3%83%8A%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3

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