Hi everyone!
This semester went by so fast! There was so much going on with school and gigs, that finals week arrived in a flash! It has been a great fall semester for myself and especially my students.
First of all, we had an awesome percussion ensemble concert this Fall! The concert was so well attended which was so great for the performers – there is nothing like playing to a full house! We had quite a varied program, with everything from the feisty duo “Octabones” to a piece called “Quench” where the whole ensemble played and drank from wine bottles! The audience members seemed to have many different favorites, which I think is a good thing. Some really liked Octabones, some preferred the marimba quartet Hook and many people loved the intense drumming quintet called “Red Earth.” I was very proud of the students yet again for a great evening of music, played with elegance and professionalism! Yay!
After Thanksgiving, my students performed John Rutter’s Gloria. The Rutter Gloria is a famous piece for choir that has some brass and percussion. It is a very well known and beloved piece, with spirited outer movements that are really fun to play and listen to! The percussion parts can be done with 2 or 3 people. We did it with 3…a timpanist plus two others. The timpani part is particularly fun, with lost of dramatic moments and cool exposures. There is also snare, xylophone and a bit of bells and cymbals. I was really proud of my percussionists, since it was a “real-world” situation. They got the music and then just a few days later had only a couple rehearsals and then the concert. The three of them listened to a few different versions of it to check tempos and such (thank you Spotify) and then were ready to go for the rehearsals and performance! I don’t have a video or recording of SUU’s performance, but check out this video of the third movement of the piece so you can hear it!
A few weeks ago, I did a photo shoot to promote the next Satellite Salon series that I’ll be hosting next month. The photo shoot was really fun, especially working with a great dancer, Paul Ocampo. Here’s a sneak peak of Satellite Salon!
Finally, I am happy to announce that my student, Taylor Armstrong, won the Southern Utah Young Artist Competition! Taylor is a freshman at SUU this year from Kanab, Utah, and he is already a fantastic solo player! He has been going to PASIC every year for many years, and really is up on all things in the percussion world. He has been a great addition to our studio, with all of his knowledge and skills of course, but also his crazy side as well. We tease him that he has a little bit of a devilish grin and is always ready with a funny quip of some kind. He keeps us laughing for sure! He is playing the Ewazen Marimba Concerto right now, which is a piece that is particularly well-suited for him, both musically and his body type! At over 6 feet tall, he can reach all over that 5 octave marimba! He submitted a recording of the 3rd movement for the Orchestra of Southern Utah’s Young Artist Competition and won! He will be performing with the orchestra in April! I am so proud of him! He is also submitting this piece to some other competitions so we will see how things develop for Taylor! Congratulations Taylor!
What a great semester! I’m really looking forward to next Spring and the musical adventures waiting for me. Stay tuned!
Upcoming Events:
- I’m hosting Satellite Salon in January, featuring LA harpist, Alison Bjorkedal
- The SUU Percussion Ensemble will be performing for the Utah Music Educator’s Association in February
