Zeltsman Marimba Festival 2014

I am thrilled to be returning to ZMF (Zeltsman Marimba Festival) starting this weekend in Appleton, Wisconsin. There are a couple of things to watch for the next couple weeks through this blog, my Twitter feed @jeffsass, and on my Facebook page. It is going to be a steady stream of marimba information and news so sit back and enjoy the ride.

ZMF is a two-week long event where participants from all over the world come together to immerse themselves in all things marimba. The festival includes a number of concerts (some of which are free), and Nancy and the organizers have put together a list of all of the concerts on their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/ZeltsmanMarimbaFestival/events

All of the concerts will be fantastic, but I am personally looking forward to the final 5 hour marathon concert where all of the attendees participate in. This is a great opportunity to see what the marimbists “out there” are playing. Whether it is a new piece or a marimba classic, there is always a fresh take and a “hidden gem” to look for. This year, I hope to add to the fun a world premiere of a solo entitled “To the shadow, light” by Guillo Espel. For anyone that is in Appleton, Wisconsin feel free to stop by and enjoy all of the wonderful concerts. Check back during the next two weeks to see what is happening at #ZMF2014.

First Annual Amsterdam Marimba Weekend

The first annual Amsterdam Marimba Weekend will be help on May 9-11, 2014. The web site for more information is at:

http://www.amsterdammarimbaweekend.nl/

Below is a copy of the information from their Facebook page. Enjoy!

AMSTERDAM MARIMBA WEEKEND
First International Edition
9-10-11 MAY, 2014

There days of master classes, open rehearsals, clinics and final concert-fiesta at Podium Mozaïek on 11 May at 15.30h

Featuring
IVANA BILIC, TATIANA KOLEVA and BOGDAN BACANU

Special guests:
WAVE QUARTET and YOUTH PERCUSSION POOL

Registration, info & tickets:
www.amsterdammarimbaweekend.nl
www.podiummozaiek.nl
www.pustjenspercussion.nl
www.tatianakoleva.com

The Amsterdam Marimba Weekend will be hosted by Pustjens Percussion Products and Tatiana Koleva.

additional links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSagowjDdoI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FLEB5P2r_c#t=23
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIHAzIDgydM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Mn3SDuyBY

AMW is supported by Pustjens Percussion Products, ADAMS, Concorde, Marimba One, GreenPePR, Marimba/Percussion Projects Foundation, NL, IFAA Accountants & Tax Advisers, Amsterdam, Vereniging Nederland – Bulgarije, private donations.

University of North Texas Keyboard Percussion Symposium June 16-20, 2014

The University of North Texas Keyboard Percussion Symposium will be held this June 16-20, 2014. The faculty includes:

Christopher Deane – UNT College of Music, Symposium co-director
Brian Zator – Texas A+M University-Commerce, Symposium co-director
Katarzyna Mycka – Poland/Germany
She-e Wu – Northwestern University
Sandi Rennick – Santa Clara Vanguard

This looks like a great group of faculty. For information and the application please head to their website.

If anyone has been to this symposium leave a comment and share your experiences!

Zeltsman Marimba Festival 2014 This July in Appleton, Wisconsin

I was thrilled to attend the Zeltsman Marimba Festival in 2009 and be a co-sponsor on the Intermediate Masterworks for Marimba commissions which brought 24 new marimba solos into existance. I am happy to announce that I will be returning this year as a participant to ZMF 2014 this June 29-July 12.

The early registration discount will expire in 3 days (and that saves you $200). If you are thinking of going to ZMF this year, hurry and register now. This year’s faculty include Anders Astrand, Jean Geoffroy, Nanae Mimura, Dane Richeson, Jack Van Geem, Nancy Zeltsman, Jonathan Singer, Mike Truesdell, Laurent Warnier, Xi (Rachel) Zhang, Alejandro Ruiz, and guest presenter Rick Mattingly.

I am also excited to announce that I have commissioned a new marimba solo and will be giving the premiere at ZMF 2014. More details on that piece will be posted to this blog this spring. The composer I am working with is Guillo Espel from Argentina.

For all details and registration information, please head over to http://www.zmf.us. I look forward to hearing who else is attending this year!

2014 Southern California International Marimba Competition

The 2014 Southern California International Marimba Competition will be held from May 30-June 1st, 2014. The application process is to submit an audio recording via DropBox by March 1, 2014 which is a pretty innovative and easy way to apply.

This year Gordon Stout will be a guest jury member. The other jury members include Naoko Takada, Lynn Vartan, and Nick Terry.

The collegiate category does not require you to be in a college music program. There is also a duo category. It is open to all marimbists, so get practicing and apply! For more information head over to the SCIMC website.

 

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

50th Anniversary PAS Marimba Orchestra

One of the great things happening at next year’s PASIC is the 50th Anniversary PAS Marimba Orchestra. Gordon Stout will be conducting. There are 50 slots for students to fill this orchestra and you can apply by heading over to this site.

You do have to bring a marimba with you to PASIC to participate. Good luck to everyone and I hope you pass the audition and are accepted!