Italy Percussive Arts Society Competition 2013

Antonio Santangelo sent me this note to share about the Italy Percussive Arts Society competition. Please visit http://www.italypas.it for more information. The application is due this Friday so be sure to apply quickly!

If you want to look just at the required marimba repertoire list it is linked here.

For Teachers and Students of Percussion Instruments, Drumset and Composition

The ITALY Percussive Arts Society organizes from 24th to 29th September 2013 the 11th edition of Italy Percussion Competition for Marimba, Vibraphone, Timpani, Snare Drum, Drum Set and Composition in Montesilvano (PE-Italy).

Attention please: Application deadline : 31st May 2013

Guest artists for Juries, Masterclasses & Concerts:
David Friedman, Casey Cangelosi, Marta Klimasara, Kai Stensgaard, Carlo Willems, Wulff Bernhard, Marian Rapczewski, Ignacio Ceballos Martin, Gabriele Bianchi, Rick Latham, Sergio Bellotti, Dejan Tamše.

Rules, Repertoire list, Application form… www.italypas.it

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you so much!
Antonio Santangelo
Artistic Director & President Italy Percussive Arts Society

World Premiere if Christopher Theofanidis’ Concerto for Marimba and Wind Sinfonietta

This evening April 30, 2013 William Moersch will be premiering Christopher Theofanidis‘ Concerto for Marimba and Wind Sinfonietta at 7:30pm Central time. It will be at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.

This concert will be streamed at the following URL: http://bands.illinois.edu/content/media

I am thrilled to hear this live over the Internet without having to drive down to go see it. I hope everyone takes advantage of this opportunity to hear a new marimba world premiere!

For more information there is a Facebook event page.

Blake Tyson’s “Firefish – The Music of Blake Tyson” Kickstarter project

Blake Tyson is doing a Kickstarter project to help fund his new CD “Firefish – The Music of Blake Tyson“. I have always been a fan of Blake’s compositions and am very happy to be a backer of this Kickstarter project for his new CD. You have 28 more days to donate and he is only 22% funded on this project so far. Please share the word and donate to this project!

Zeltsman Marimba Festival 2013 in Arcata, CA June 30 – July 13

The following press release is from Nicole Riggs of Marimba One.

 

For Immediate Release

Arcata, CA

February 26, 2013

Coming to Arcata June 30 – July 13, 2013 are dozens of the world’s top players of the marimba, a large wooden percussion instrument with resonators, resembling a giant xylophone. They will perform eight marimba concerts at HSU and at the Arcata Playhouse during the two-week festival.

The marimbists are appearing at the Zeltsman Marimba Festival but they are also coming to the workshop in the redwoods of what is arguably the premier builder of marimbas, Marimba One, and its founder-owner Ron Samuels.

For more than 25 years, Samuels and his staff have been handcrafting the finest instruments, combining refined listening that understands sound with scientifically precise engineering skills.

That’s why more than 500 symphonies, music schools and universities in every corner of the globe–from Carnegie Hall in New York to Beijing Central Conservatory in China–turn to Marimba One as they seek superior sound, guaranteed durability and top-notch service for their concert marimbas.

It all starts outside the little villages of Central America. There the Marimba One team led by Samuels, who has both a trained ear from playing classical piano and a reverence for so-called ‘tone woods,’ hand-inspects and selects for shipping each piece of rosewood.

Once the wood reaches the Marimba One manufacturing facility in Arcata, it is air-dried, then kiln-dried and molded into the various bar profiles that the master craftsmen use to build marimbas.

Next, Marimba One’s master tuner grades the wood for sound, constantly looking for any flaws in the wood and listening to its resonance so that he can maximize its musical qualities.

The customer then enters the picture since he or she chooses the “voicing” for their keyboard. Based on this description of how they want their marimba to sound, Marimba One selects the bars that best match their description. Samuels knows artists are looking for a darker sound that is louder and warmer.

“We’re always thinking about sound quality and how to bring out the clearest and most musical voice in each piece of wood,” says Samuels. The audiences at the ZMF in Arcata will hear the marimbists creating the sound they crave.

2013 Minnesota Percussion Association Day of Percussion tomorrow

The 2013 Minnesota Percussion Association Day of Percussion is tomorrow, Saturday 1/5/2013, at Rosemount High School in Rosemount, Minnesota. It will take place from 9am – 4pm and will feature the following artists:

Pedro Carneiro

Bill Bachman

Noah Hoehn

Mu Daiko.

The cost of admission is $10. For more information contact Bohan Hoover at bojan.hoover [at] gmail [dot] com.