Elite Percussion.com » Profiles

Lisa Pegher

ElitePercussion — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:52:37 +0000

Lisa Pegher is an American solo percussionist who has been described by the Boston Globeas “forcefully balletic” and by critic Marty Lash of the Door County Advocate as “a gifted passionate artist, with a rock-star aura.” She has been featured in Symphony Magazine as one of the top six performers of her generation and continues to carve a new path for percussion as a solo instrument.

As a soloist Lisa has performed with many fine orchestras across the globe including the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, NEPA Philharmonic, Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, Asheville Symphony Orchestra, FM Symphony Orchestra, Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, York Orchestra and the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, Lansing Orchestra, Lima Symphony Orchestra, Elmhurst Orchestra, and Peninsula Festival Orchestra among others. She has also worked with many inspiring conductors such as Manfred Honeck, Maximo Valdez, Daniel Meyer, Timothy Mufftt, Victor Yampolsky, Lawrence Loh, Sydney Harth, Lucas Richman, Kevin Noe, Crafton Beck, Tomasz Golka, Emily Ray, Robin Fountain, Brett Mitchell, Bernard Rubenstein, Robert Hart Baker, and Gil Rose. In August 2011 Lisa performed with the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Orchestra inSanta Cruz,Californiacelebrating Marin Alsop’s twenty year anniversary season.

She has also recently performed with the Grand Junction Orchestra inColoradoplaying Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto for Percussion and is also performing concerti by Joseph Schwanter, James MacMillan, Kevin Puts and Christopher Rouse. Lisa gave theWisconsinpremiere of Tobias Brotrøm’s Arena Percussion Concerto with the Peninsula Festival Orchestra in August 2010 and recently premiered and recorded Mathew Rosenblum’s Double Concerto for Saxophone and Percussion with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gil Rose and Kenneth Koon. This recording will be released on the BMOP Sound label in coming months. As an advocate of new music, she also recently premiered a new marimba solo by composer, Derek Bermel at the Institute for Advanced Studies inPrinceton,New Jerseyand has also been involved with commissioning new works from Martin Bresnick and Paul Lansky.

Constantly looking for new artistic ways to present percussion to a broader audience, Lisa is currently performing her own multi-media project called: Minimal Art, which incorporates digital animation design, computer electronics and improvisation. It is featured on her newly released album. She also recently won a grant from Meet the Composer allowing her to commission a new percussion concerto by American Composer, David Stock that she premiered with a consortium of orchestras beginning in the 2007-08 season. Previous to the launch of full-time solo career, Lisa performed as the Principal Timpanist of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and Section Percussionist with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.

Lisa keeps an up to date journal –visit it to keep track of her upcoming performances and experiences on and off the road. Ms Pegher endorses, and is supported by: Evans Drumheads, Marimba One, Innovative Percussion and Matt Nolan Custom Cymbals.

www.lisapegher.com

Joe Locke

ElitePercussion — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:10:15 +0000

Joe Locke is widely considered to be one of the major voices of his instrument. He has performed and recorded with a diverse range of notable musicians, including Grover Washington Jr, Kenny Barron, Eddie Henderson, Cecil Taylor, Dianne Reeves, Ron Carter, The Beastie Boys, the Münster Symphony Orchestra and the Lincoln, NebraskaSymphony.

Long known to be a soloist capable of stunning physical power and broad emotional range, it was not until the last decade that he emerged as the composer, band leader and conceptualist that he is considered today. This is in no small part due to his recent solo projects. “Four Walls of Freedom” (Sirocco), a 6 movement suite based on the writing of the monk Thomas Merton, which he composed as a vehicle for tenor saxophonist Bob Berg, garnered high praise from the critical community as a major work and won several international polls. “Live in Seattle” (Origin), by the Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group, won the 2006 Ear Shot award for “Concert of the Year”. This group is well loved and emulated by younger musicians looking for direction and inspiration. The overwhelming success of his most recent quartet, “Force of Four” (Origin), can be attributed to the talents of his young cohorts and to the leader’s musical philosophy, which is to honor tradition while keeping both feet planted in the present and future. His latest release, the captivating, immersive album “VIA”, is the result of a reunion of Storms/Nocturnes, the transatlantic trio with Geoffrey Keezer and Tim Garland. At this writing, he is preparing to release his first recorded symphonic project, with arrangements by Ryan Cohan and Tim Garland.

Locke has won numerous awards and polls, including the 2006, 2008 and 2009 “Mallet Player of the Year” award from the Jazz Journalists Association. He is active as a clinician / educator and has been the International Vibraphone Consultant at the Royal Academy of Music,London, on a visiting basis since 2008, as well as being a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music inNew York City.

www.joelocke.com

AXOUM DUO

Steve — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:08:24 +0000

AXOUM DUO
Elwira Slazak & Gabriel Collet
two marimbas

Acknowledged to have excellent musical skills and virtuoso performances, Axoum Duo include an eclectic repertoire compiling different kinds of present-day music – classical music transcriptions, film music, and also original compositions written by Gabriel Collet. Fully commited to today’s music, they perform premiers of new works, some of which have been dedicated to them.
They write soundtracks for documentaries and collaborate with artists from different fields creating interesting projects.
They regularly perform in France, Belgium, Poland and Asia.
In past seasons the duo appeared during “Les Journées de la Francophonie” (Wroc!aw, Poland), “65 International Chopin Piano Festival” (Duszniki-Zdroj, Poland), “International Seoul Drum Festival” (South Korea), Rachid Behboudov Theater (Bakou, Azerbaidjan), throughout Europe, including “Braunshweig Festival Classix”, “International Marimba Festival”, Japan Art Centrum Manngha”, “X Franz Schubert Music Festival”, etc.
Their first CD recording “Axoum New music for two marimbas” has been released in 2007 with, among others, three first recordings of the original pieces written for marimba duo. It has received enthusiastic reviews in France, Belgium, Japan and USA.
Axoum’s performances and recordings have been broadcast on different radios in Europe including: Musiques 3, Radio Bartok, Polskie Radio. The duo also makes appearances on different TV programmes.
The duo formed in Paris in 2000 by percussionists Elwira Slazak and Gabriel Collet. They hold degrees with the highest distinctions from Conservatories in Paris, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels (percussions). They graduated with diplomas with the highest honour from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Antwerp, Postgraduate Concert Soloist studies (marimba).
They are recipients of prestigious european grants: “Prix Luffin” and “The Sir Georges Solti Foundation” and are the prize winners of numerous international competitions: International Music Competition
(Belgium); VII & VIII International Krzysztof Penderecki Contemporary Chamber Music Competition, Cracow (I & II prize; prize-Axoum Duo was the first marimba duo in the history of the competition to win the First Prize); II International Marimba Duo Competition, Belgium (II prize).
In july 2011, they appeared as jury members in “4th Universal Marimba Competition” in Belgium.
The duo gives masterclasses and lectures in Europe. They organise the annual “Axoum International Marimba Academy” in Radziejowice, Poland.
Since september 2011 Axoum Duo is a YAMAHA Artist.
Visit the duo’s official website at www.axoumduo.com for more information
or
join them on Facebook “Axoum Duo – Official” profile

We have heard sparkling, fantastically executed composition ( …) ”
(…) Phenomenal presentation of Elwira Slazak and Gabriel Collet …”
Gazeta Wyborcza journal
(…) Music, from one part magic, from other spontaneous,
unusually and virtuozo (…) executed with great sensitivity and engagement ”

Katarzyna Mycka

ElitePercussion — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:41:21 +0000

The internationally renowned marimba virtuoso KATARZYNA MYCKA, (born 1972) is founder of the International Katarzyna Mycka Marimba Academy.

Besides her years of study at the music academies in Gdansk, Stuttgart and Salzburg, where she graduated with honours, her artistic development has been documented by numerous prizes at international competitions (1995 she won not only the Luxembourg International Percussion Competition for Marimba Solo, winning the audience prize there as well, but also the First World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart in 1996).

She has also been successful at other percussion competitions as well, winning First Prize at the 1991 Polish Percussion Competition in Opole and being awarded a special prize in the form of a stipend for foreign study at the 1992 “Concours International d’Execution Musicale” in Geneva. Katarzyna Myćka was also a finalist at the 1997 ARD Competition in Munich. During the same year she appeared as soloist at the First Marimba Festival in Osaka/ Japan, at the International Marimba Festival in Linz/Austria (2004) and at the most important marimba event until today – International Marimba Festival in Minneapolis 2010. She is a guest soloist with many philharmonic and chamber orchestras allover the world.

After having been awarded the honour of “Ambassadress of Polish Percussive Arts” by the Polish Percussive Arts Society in 1999, a scholarship from the Baden-Württemberg Artistic Foundation followed, as well as invitations to perform in concerts and give master classes in the U.S.A., Germany, Poland, Japan, China, Corea, Mexico, Luxembourg, Belgium, Bulgaria and Switzerland a. o.. Katarzyna Myćka made her American debut at the International Percussion Festival PASIC 1997 in Anaheim (LA), 2001 and 2008 she came back to PASIC performances in Nasville and Austin.

Meanwhile, Katarzyna Myćka has been called upon to serve on the juries of international percussion and marimba competitions (1999 & 2002 IPC inLuxembourg, in 2000 Warsaw, 2001 in Ostrava/CZ, 2004 and 2007 at Federal German Competitions Jugend Musiziert, 2005, 2007 and 2009 in Plovdiv/BL , 2006 at the International Marimba Competition in Linz/A and 2009 Concours de Geneve, 2010 Bonn/Germany.

She was teaching marimba at theMusicAcademy inPoznan for three years and cooperated with MusicAcademyinMannheim.

Following CD-recordings have been released:

1997 “Katarzyna Myćka – Marimba Spiritual”
1999 “Katarzyna Myćka – Marimba Dance”
2001 “Katarzyna Myćka – Marimba Concerto”
2003 “Katarzyna Myćka – Marimba Sculpture”
2005 “Mycka/Bacanu – J. S. Bach – Marimba Concertos”
2008 “Katarzyna Myćka – Marimba Classica”

www.marimbasolo.com

Dave Danford

ElitePercussion — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:15:20 +0000

Dave Danford has rapidly become established as one of theUK’s leading percussionists, maintaining a busy schedule of solo recitals, orchestral concerto performances, studio recording sessions and master-classes.

As a composer and arranger Dave writes in a range of styles including classical, jazz and folk. He has also collaborated with some of the biggest names in the dance music business including international trance producer Darren Tate and BBC Radio 1 DJ Judge Jules. He has worked as a record producer in a wide variety of genres including dance music, rock, classical, big band and folk

Dave was born inSwansea, South Wales in 1984 and studied at theRoyalWelshCollegeof Music & Drama, graduating in 2006. During his time studying he became the first and only percussionist to win the college’s annual concerto competition and performed concertos with the wind orchestra, brass band and symphony orchestra.

After graduating Dave embarked on a career as a percussion soloist and regularly performs solo recitals and orchestral concertos at the country’s foremost venues includingLondon’s South Bank Centre,Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, The Sage Gateshead, Wales Millennium Centre and St. David’s Hall,Cardiff.

Dave released his debut solo album Rhythmic Renaissance in 2007. The CD is a collection of accessible music for solo percussion and features the most popular works from Dave’s solo recitals over the last few years.

www.davedanford.co.uk

Jon Sterckx

ElitePercussion — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:47:11 +0000

Jon works as a freelance musician, primarily as a performer, but also works as an instrumental teacher, session musician and delivers workshops in schools & colleges & is an Associate Lecturer at theUniversityofPlymouth.

Jon’s music often explores combining rhythmic ideas and techniques between different instruments and musical forms, both in his solo work and in collaborations. He also combines this with technology through computer based studio recording and his unique live sampling performances.

He has performed with various artists and groups including multi instrumental duo Taaliqa, the duo Tandj , based on South Indian devotional music, as well as Indian classical music, and ‘Drumscapes’ – his unique solo multi-percussion live sampling performances.

Collaborations with theatre and dance companies:

In 1997 Jon was the musical director for a Theatre project with East Glamorgan Polytechnic on a piece performed atGlastonburyfestival.

In 2007 Jon worked as the musical director for Attik Dance company, based inPlymouth, on the ‘Clean Sweep” project which was performed across the South West UK.

Jon has also collaborated a number of times with dancers at the ‘In The Flesh’ events held at the Barbican Theatre inPlymouth, using live percussion sampling.

Tuition & Training:

Jon’s tabla tuition began inCardiffwith Harjinder Singh Matharu fromBirmingham. Harjinder gave Jon a good solid foundation in tabla playing between 1994 – 1998 as well as the encouragement & inspiration to commit himself seriously to the instrument.

In 1994 / 1995, Jon returned toIndiawhere he learned from Shivanand Bhandari at the Naadashree Arts Institute in Kumta,Karnataka,India.

In 1998 & 1999, Jon returned toIndiaand studied with Kailash Nishad in Benares, (Varanasi) inNorth India, a city renowned for the study of North Indian (Hindustani) music.

Jon’s other musical studies include completing a BA ( Hons ) Music degree at Dartington College of Arts in 2000, where his main subject was in composing music for live performance.

Jon continues to learn and develop as a musician and percussionist through his own practice and playing, and through his musical collaborations with the talented musicians that he works with.

www.jonsterckx.co.uk

Simone Rebello

ElitePercussion — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:57:26 +0000

Simone graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music with Distinction and a collection of awards including a major scholarship and The Phillip Jones Prize. She began a solo career which has taken her around the world with concerto appearances, solo recitals, master classes and appearances on national and international TV and radio. She has recorded several CDs and is in high demand as a soloist with brass bands, wind ensembles and symphony orchestras. She continues to win awards such as the 1998 Cosmopolitan/House of Fraser Woman of the Year in the Arts.

Simone regularly performs with the internationally renowned BackBeatPercussion Quartet of which she is a founder member. The group tours extensively inJapan andAmerica and have also given concerts inZimbabwe, the Cayman Islands and throughoutEurope. In addition to recording 2 CDs and numerous international TV and radio broadcasts the group has won several competitions including the Royal Over – Seas League Ensemble Prize (1997), The Osaka International Chamber Music Festa (1999) and The USA Concert Artists Guild (2001) which led to a USA debut at The Weill Hall – Carnegie Hall. The group has commissioned several new works and its 2002 Proms debut was broadcast live on BBC television.

In 1997 Simone formed Equivox with leading saxophonist Rob Buckland and Peter Lawson (pianist), and this contemporary music group record and perform internationally. They have commissioned several new works and their debut album ‘The Time is Now’ was released to critical acclaim in 2006. Simone collaborates with various musicians on projects and continues to work as a solo recitalist with pianist/organist Julian Wilkins. Her most recent collaborations include a series of concerts with internationally renowned jazz pianist Jason Rebello and a continued range of performances with The BBC Singers and Ex Cathedra.

Simone devises and presents concerts and workshops to children of all ages and works annually with Young WorldUKwho produce concerts featuring large choirs (up to 8000 children) inUKarenas including the Manchester Evening News Arena, working with musicians including Beverley Knight, Lee Ryan and Heather Small

She is frequently asked to adjudicate at national and international brass and wind band competitions, percussion festivals and events for BBC Radio, and speaks regularly at events concerning performance skills, the development of concerts and workshops for children and general percussion topics.

Simone Rebello is a solo artist and endorsee for Yamaha MusicUK, Sabian Cymbals and Mike Balter Mallets