I first met Andrew Feldman at PASIC in 1981. For several years beginning in the late 1970s he manned a small booth at the conventions, and advertised his sticks and mallets in the classifieds at the back of Percussive Notes. I bought a number of bass drum beaters and tam tam mallets from his display… Read more »
Opera is considered one of the most refined musical art forms. It combines instrumental music, theater and singing to a very high level. Some of the most profound music is from the opera repertory. Many of the major composers throughout history have written operas beginning with early works of composers such as Monteverdi and continuing… Read more »
Early on in the beginning years of Woodstock Chimes, I attended a talk given by a marketing executive of the Stanley Tool Company. I walked away with a very important message. He explained the difference between marketing and sales using a simple drill bit. Basically, he said that they sell drill bits but they market… Read more »
Percussionists are often called upon to play instruments that are sometimes not even classified as percussion instruments. A huge category within this subset are sound effects. Sound effects used in movies began with Jack Foley in 1927. Foley Art is used throughout the film industry today and many of Jack’s techniques are still a mainstay… Read more »
Percussionists are often called upon to play unusual instruments. One such instrument is the quijada or the jawbone of an ass (donkey). This instrument is mostly found in South America, Central America and the Caribbean. I own two of them, one of which I bought in the mid-1970s while on tour in Austria of all… Read more »
The NEXUS concert in Kitchener, Ontario on June 13, 2014 was comprised entirely of the music of Russell Hartenberger. The first half of the concert consisted of a NEXUS favorite, “The Invisible Proverb” (recorded By NEXUS on their “Drumtalker” CD) and the first of two world premieres, “Moondog Suite,” which was followed after… Read more »
NEXUS and Sepideh Raissadat were greeted by a sold-out house on the weekend at the Open Ears Festival in Kitchener, Ontario.
NEXUS has been producing creative and unique concerts since its first one in 1971. This past weekend was no exception as we collaborated with an amazing young Iranian / Canadian vocalist and setar (www.setar.info) player, Sepideh Raissadat who is quite well-known in her native country. Our performance was at a great little theater in Kitchener,… Read more »
When my touring schedule permits, I often play in the percussion section of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. Hamilton, Ontario is a thriving city about 70 km southwest of Toronto. The HPO is a fine orchestra with a long history. The original Canadian Brass was formed by members of the orchestra’s great brass section in 1970…. Read more »
Russsell Hartenberger’s new “Moondog Suite” will premiere on June 13th at Open Ears Festival. Russell was inspired to explore Moondog’s work not only by the eccentric composer’s “snaketime” rhythms (see last week’s posting) , his unusual uses of ambient sound, and influences that ranged from Native American through jazz to classical, but also by Moondog’s… Read more »
The primary difference between orchestra and chamber music is the number of players. In chamber music, there is generally one player per part while a full orchestra doubles up sections to add volume (especially in the string sections). I’ve had the pleasure of playing both kinds. Back in college I had the outrageous experience of… Read more »
On June 13 NEXUS and the Iranian vocalist Sepideh Raissadat join forces in a unique concert performance at the Open Ears Festival (Registry Theatre, Kitchener, ON). Russell Hartenberger has created several very special new arrangements for NEXUS and voice that will receive their premiere at the concert. Sepideh was born in Tehran, and began studying… Read more »
Russell has been busy! He has just completed a concert’s worth of new works to be premiered by NEXUS on June 13 at the Open Ears Festival in Kitchener, Ontario.
May 22nd is NEXUS’ 43rd Birthday! On May 22nd 1971, the first NEXUS concert took place in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music.
I attended the May 5th concert of the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall for a sold-out performance of Christopher Rouse’s Requiem. Chris Rouse was a classmate and friend of mine at the Oberlin Conservatory in the late 60s. Chris is now a preeminent composer. He’s won a coveted Pulitzer Prize, a Grammy award and… Read more »
