I recently had the honor of being a keynote speaker for the Ulster County Leadership Development Institute (ULDI) sponsored by the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce here in the Hudson Valley of New York State. The 25 or so participants were top employees sent by local businesses to help develop their leadership skills. Since I… Read more »
Articles and Interviews
The NEXUS Book of Yorkers
Yorker (yor’ ker) n. a thought-provoking phrase or comment made by participants during the two-week residency of NEXUS at York University in July/August 1973.
Listen to an Interview with Bill, Russell and Maestro Peter Bay – May 2013
On the eve of a performance of Takemitsu’s “From me flows what you call Time” with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Peter Bay and NEXUS members William Cahn and Russell Hartenberger were interviewed by WXXI’s Julia Figueras to talk about the piece. Click HERE to listen to the complete interview.
What is a Xylorimba?
(Are the overtones tuned differently in various ranges of its keyboard?) The term ‘xylorimba’ clearly refers to some kind of hybrid instrument, but it depends on who is using the term, and when. Even the word itself is a composite: xylo is the common Greek root meaning ‘wood’; and rimba is an arbitrary clipping of… Read more »
Xylophone vs. Marimba: more thoughts.
In April, 2013 I received an email from Jesse Strauss, a student at Belmont University, asking for my thoughts about an article by Vida Chenoweth in which she reached some conclusions about the terms ‘xylophone’ and ‘marimba’. I have discussed the distinctions that differentiate these terms in clinics, as well as in the Xylorimba article… Read more »
Read two great Reviews of NEXUS with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Here HERE to read a review from the City Newspaper of NEXUS’ performance of Takemitsu’s “From me flows what you call Time” on May 8th, 2013 with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. You can also check out the review in the Democrat and Chronicle HERE.
Recent composing
I had a very intense spring season, with NEXUS performances in California, Arkansas, Georgia, Ohio and New York, as well as extended solo tours of my own in Ohio, Indiana and Arizona. Usually I am unable to compose while traveling, and also I find it difficult to work creatively on writing projects without having at… Read more »
NEXUS preparing for Percussion Rochester May 4 & 5
NEXUS is preparing for Percussion Rochester, a new festival debuting on May 4 & 5. Bill Cahn says, “The idea behind Percussion Rochester is to showcase an eclectic mix of music that features percussion
Answers to questions about the beginning of NEXUS
In December, 2011 I received a request from Yale graduate student Victor Caccese to answer a few questions about how NEXUS began and developed. VC: Mr. Becker, I mainly wanted to ask you about the start of NEXUS with your first performances in 1971. Even though all of its members have accomplished a great deal… Read more »
NEXUS honored at the 2011 Toronto Arts Awards
Click HERE to read about the recognition by the Toronto Arts Awards of NEXUS’ 40th Anniversary season.
NEXUS performs with 2X10 Piano Duo – October 2011
Click HERE to read about the NEXUS concert with the 2X10 Piano Duo at the University of Toronto.
Answers to questions about New-thaan
In March, 2010, I received a request from graduate student Bruce Salyers to answer some questions about my drum solo New-thaan, which is included in NEXUS Portfolio for Snare Drum, published by HoneyRock. Bill Cahn recently posted his answers to similar questions about some of the pieces in Portfolio, and so I thought it might… Read more »
NEXUS/David Kent article in the Toronto Star – March 12, 2011
Click HERE to read the Toronto Star’s article on David Kent and his long-time association with NEXUS.
NEXUS in Barrie: “Wildly Exhilarating”
Yes, I know you can click over to the PDF posted on our site – but sometimes you don’t have time for that “extra click” and I wanted to make sure you saw this wonderful review! Sandra Ruttan of the Barrie Examiner reviewed the NEXUS performance with the University of Toronto Winds, conducted by Gillian… Read more »
NEXUS featured in Whole Note magazine article – March 2011
Click HERE to read an article by Andrew Timar about the current state of percussion in the concert hall. Andrew specifically looks at the NEXUS March 12, 2011 concert at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.
