NEXUS

Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Robin Engelman, Russell Hartenberger, Garry Kvistad

Opens the Windsor Symphony Orchestra’s Season

October 3, 2009

NEXUS, the Toronto-based percussion quintet, has been credited with extending the modern percussion ensemble’s world of possibilities.  Among the group’s most successful offerings have been numerous performances with symphony orchestras all over the world, captivating audiences with their eclectic mix of music that includes contemporary percussion masterworks, novelty ragtime, world music, group improvisations and compositions by the members of NEXUS themselves.

On Saturday, October 3, 2009 NEXUS opened the new season of concerts by the Windsor (Ontario) Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its Music Director, John Morris Russell.  The program included two compositions for NEXUS and orchestra composed by Bill Cahn – “THE BIRDS’ and “KEBJAR-BALI.”

Maestro Russell and Bill Cahn shared their thoughts about the evening’s program in a pre-concert discussion attended by interested patrons and members of the audience.  The full house at Windsor’s Chrysler Theatre received the performances of both pieces with generous enthusiasm, provoking an encore solo by NEXUS in one of the quintet’s signature pieces, “TONGUES.”

Appearances by NEXUS with symphony orchestras have included not only subscription series concerts, but also pops, family-oriented, and educational programs.  NEXUS is particularly recognized in the orchestral world for its many highly-acclaimed performances of “From me flows what you call Time” by the eminent Japanese composer, Toru Takemitsu.

The future of music will be secure as long as musicians with the originality,
power and skill of Nexus continue to exist.”
– Robert Harris in The (Toronto) Globe and Mail

“[NEXUS] . . . The panache of virtuosity, stamina, more than a
hint of poetry and an infectious delight in their music making.”
– The Australian