Hurtado Brothers Royal Marimba Band of Guatemala

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In August 2023 I received a request from Amy Racic, the Video Producer for the Percussive Arts Society, asking for “a short self recorded video interview to use as part of their 2023 Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame induction video” on the Hurtado Brothers Royal Marimba Band of Guatemala, who were to be inducted… Read more »

NEXUS & Friends at Bardavon Theater

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NEXUS and Friends performed on September 23, 2023 in Poughkeepsie, New York at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House. The concert included guest appearances by saxophonist Paul Winter and pianist Henrique Eisenmann. Here is a shot from above of the event. Photo Credit: Jim Nickel

Cymbal Advice

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  In April, 2023 I received an email from the Canadian conductor Jordan de Souza asking for some advice about the cymbal part in Debussy’s La mer. Jordan’s questions and my reply are below.     Dear Bob, I’m a young Canadian conductor working mostly in Europe. I’m studying La mer for concerts in Dortmund… Read more »

NEXUS and “the boat photo”

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  In 1989 Nexus was chosen to be a recipient of the prestigious Toronto Arts Award. It was an honour that included a cash bursary, as well as a professional photo shoot meant to provide high quality PR material for the group. The Arts Council selected Toronto photographer Doug Forster for the job, and he… Read more »

More from Bob’s Archive (Part 11) – Jo Kondo and Under the Umbrella

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In 1976, at the invitation of composer Toru Takemitsu, Nexus made its first tour to Japan. A major event was our appearance on the Music Today Festival in Tokyo, for which Takemitsu had commissioned a new work from the brilliant young composer Jo Kondo (b. 1947). JK wrote a four-movement quintet titled Under the Umbrella,… Read more »

Bob Becker – new publications from KPP

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Claude Monet at Giverny

This year (2022) Keyboard Percussion Publications released two more of my compositions: Water Lilies, composed in 2012; and To Immortal Bloom, composed in 2017. Information about the works and how to order them can be found on the MostlyMarimba website here: https://www.mostlymarimba.com/product/water-lilies/ https://www.mostlymarimba.com/product/to-immortal-bloom-by-bob-becker/ Water Lilies is an eleven-minute quintet, scored for piano, marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel,… Read more »

My Swan Song Chime

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One of my last product designs before retiring was the Singin’ in the Rain Chime. Diane and I enjoy watching older movies and the Gene Kelly / Debbie Reynolds movie, Singin’ in the Rain, is a favorite. That song is quite familiar to people of my generation and hopefully this chime will inspire other generations to… Read more »

NEXUS at Fifty: PART 40: 2020

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We have come to our final history post, celebrating our fifty years in music. We are posting this on May 22, 2022, which is (TA DA!) our 51st birthday!!  It has been astonishing for all of us to look back at where we began and where we have been. Needless to say, Covid threw dismay,… Read more »

NEXUS at Fifty: PART 39: 2019

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CBC “IN CONCERT” HALL OF FAME   We were honoured to be inducted into the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “In Concert” Canadian Musician Hall of Fame – NEXUS being the 13th inductee. It was such a pleasure revisiting our recordings that were featured in the broadcast: Steve Reich’s “Sextet” (written for NEXUS) and his “Music for Mallet… Read more »

NEXUS at Fifty: PART 38: 2018

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LOU’S TUBES AND CULINARY DELIGHTS    Our busy April 2018 took us to Kingston NY to help the Ulster Chamber Music Series celebrate their 50th and to Hyde Park NY to the Culinary Institute of America! In Kingston, the hall was set with big suspended tubes at the compass points for the concert opener, “Greeting Prelude”… Read more »

NEXUS at Fifty: PART 37: 2017

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AN UNUSUAL BEGINNING   We had an unusual start to 2017. Bill had an unexpected knee injury and had to take time out to heal. We were grateful that Ray Dillard was able to step into the breach for our Texas week in Houston at San Jacinto College with Mike Mizma – interesting clinics and a… Read more »

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