NEXUS recently performed in Toronto with the Toronto Children’s Chorus. The concert took place in the magnificent St. Anne’s Church, which was founded in 1862 and reconstructed in 1920 in the style of the Byzantine Revival. The church interior is decorated and painted with murals by artists who were members of Canada’s famous Group of… Read more »
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Grand Opening – The Center for Mallet Percussion Research
On Saturday November 7, 2015 I’m in Pennsylvania to present a session on “The Xylophone in Acoustic Recordings 1877-1929” for the grand opening of the new Center for Mallet Percussion Research at Kutztown University.
“Persian Songs” – Nexus Records 10926
The album features Sepideh Raissadat with NEXUS in Russell’s suite of Persian Songs by Reza Ghassemi, as well as Russell’s unique Moondog Suite where NEXUS is accompanied by Suba Sankaran for the song “I’m This, I’m That”.
A busy autumn: CDs, Choirs, and Conferences
We’ve been having a really wonderful fall. Our newly launched CD “Persian Songs” with Sepideh Raissadat has garnered a terrific review from The Wholenote magazine’s Andrew Timar. He calls it “an exhilarating listening experience”!
A Day of Meritas
On Oct. 22, 2014 Ruth and I presented two 45-minute workshops for about 40 middle and high school students visiting Rochester as part of the Meritas education program. Meritas is a family of schools that support PreK-12 education through the organization’s unique approach to personalized learning, which prepares students to succeed at their top choice college… Read more »
ROC Drummers – A New Direction
ROC Drummers is a new after school hand drumming program that is intended to provide an opportunity for young participants to experience the joy of making music, while simultaneously gaining the acquisition of valuable life skills – setting and achieving personal goals, and working with others towards common goals. The program, which began on September… Read more »
Let Earth Resound! NEXUS with Toronto Children’s Chorus Oct 24th
We hope you will join us in Toronto for our concert with the Toronto Children’s Chorus at St Anne’s Church, 270 Gladstone. It is an afternoon concert, beginning at 3 pm. We are really looking forward to working once again with this exceptional group. The TCC has been around for almost as long as NEXUS… Read more »
Woodstock Film Festival Celebrates Tyler’s Story
Right here in the little village of Woodstock, NY, a major film festival is now in its 16th year: WoodstockFilmFestival.com. This season, I am happy to report that our 8-minute film, Chimes for Autism: Tyler’s Story, was accepted in the short documentary category and had two sold out screenings during the festival. There were five… Read more »
It’s a . . . . rare Giant Puffball
Tuesday September 29, 2015 Bill: Look Outside. What’s that large white thing on the front lawn? I didn’t see that yesterday. Ruth: It looks like a dead animal. Bill: Or is it somebody’s misplaced beachball? Let’s go out and see. Both: Wow! It’s a giant puffball. Let’s see what our mushroom book says about puffballs…. Read more »
History of NEXUS Performances – 1968 to 2018
To see a complete listing of performances by NEXUS from 1968 to 2018 – including dates, venues, programs – click on the links below: History of NEXUS 1968-1989 History of NEXUS 1990-1998 History of NEXUS 1999-2018
Ionisation Enclumes
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Michael Rosen’s article on “Ionisation” in the July 2015 issue of PERCUSSIVE NOTES. After reading it, the memory banks in my brain started throwing out images of the past, along with an impulse to write about two of these images under the assumption that they might in some way be of… Read more »
Some reflections on John Cage
In response to the request on NEXUS’ Facebook, here are a few more John Cage recollections. In June, 1984 NEXUS embarked on a major European tour lasting over two months. Our first stop on the trip was Amsterdam and the Holland Festival. We played two concerts there, including a monumental all-night improvisation in the Nieuwe… Read more »
What went into recording our new CD “Persian Songs”? Plenty!
Here is a GREAT article, for your listening pleasure! Audiophile Experts talk to our recording producer Ray Dillard and Noble Street Studio manager Donny Da Silva to discover the complexities of recording the percussion instruments of NEXUS and balancing it all with the ethereal voice of Sepideh Raissadat.
Festivals of the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York
This region, which is the home of Woodstock Chimes, is known for its beautiful environment, its history and its culture. There are almost too many things to choose from, such as the many wonderful festivals of all sorts. I recently played in the orchestra for the Festival of the Voice in Phoenicia, NY. This is… Read more »
A John Cage recollection: Third Construction
During the summers from 2000 to 2010 I was in Newark, DE directing my annual Xylophone Institute at the University of Delaware. The host for that event was the professor of percussion at UDel, Harvey Price. One day the topic of John Cage’s Third Construction came up in a conversation, and I told Harvey about… Read more »
