April Centrone is a drummer, Middle Eastern percussionist, oud player, music therapist, and educator whose work brings together traditional Arabic music and contemporary performance. She has performed on stages ranging from Coachella to Carnegie Hall and has toured worldwide as both a featured artist and collaborator. She is also co-founder of the New York Arabic Orchestra, helping build a vibrant platform for Arabic music in the United States and beyond.

She is the founder of NEESAN, a project that reflects both her deep roots in Arabic music and a lifetime of immersion in jazz, rock, and other contemporary styles. That blend of influences shapes an artistic voice that is grounded in tradition while remaining open, exploratory, and distinctly modern. Her career includes touring with legendary artists such as Ziad Rahbani and Marcel Khalife, as well as pop artists Saint Levant and Dana Salah, and performing with the rock fusion band Secret Chiefs 3, including appearances opening for Primus. She has also led ensembles, workshops, and productions for institutions including the United Nations and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road initiative, and has contributed to music for film and games through work with companies such as Disney+ and Ubisoft, including Assassin’s Creed: Mirage.

Alongside her performing career, April is professor of world percussion at UNLV and has taught at other institutions, while touring internationally to present lecture-demonstrations and masterclasses. Her viral tutorial videos on Instagram and YouTube have reached a broad global audience, extending her teaching far beyond the classroom and helping make Middle Eastern rhythms and techniques more widely accessible. As a music therapist, she has worked in settings including Lincoln Center, public schools, hospitals, women's safe homes and refugee youth programs worldwide, using music to foster connection, resilience, and healing across diverse communities.