Third Coast Percussion Is a Grammy Award-Winning Chicago-Based in Cooperation with Pacific’S Conservatory of Music Present Percussion Quartet

ARTIST PROFILE Third Coast Percussion is a Grammy Award-winning Chicago-based in Cooperation with Pacific’s Conservatory of Music present percussion quartet. For fifteen years, the ensemble has created exciting and unexpected performances that Third Coast Percussion constantly redefine the classical music experience. The ensemble has been SEAN CONNORS praised for “commandingly elegant” ROBERT DILLON (New York Times) performances, the PETER MARTIN “rare power” (Washington Post) of their DAVID SKIDMORE recordings, and “an inspirational sense 2 : 3 0 PM , Sunday, November 17, 2019 of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star- Faye Spanos Concert Hall Tribune). Third Coast Percussion University of the Pacific maintains a busy tour schedule, with past performances in 33 of the 50 states plus international tour dates in Colombia, the United Kingdom, “PERPETULUM” Lithuania, Taiwan, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, and Poland. A direct connection with the audience DONNER (2016) DAVID SKIDMORE (b. 1982) is at the core of all of Third Coast Percussion’s work, whether the BEND (2016) PETER MARTIN (B. 1980) musicians are speaking from the stage about a new piece of music, inviting the RESOUNDING EARTH, MVT. II. PRAYER (2012) AUGUSTA READ THOMAS (B. 1964) audience to play along in a concert or educational performance, or inviting DEATH WISH (2017) GEMMA PEACOCKE (B. 1984) their fans around the world to create PERFECTLY VOICELESS (2018) DEVONTÉ HYNES (B. 1985) new music using one of their free mobile apps. The four members of Third Coast are also accomplished — INTERMISSION — teachers and make active participation by all students the corner stone of all their educational offerings. APHASIA (2010) MARK APPLEBAUM (B. 1967) The quartet’s curiosity and eclectic taste have led to a series of unlikely ORDERING-INSTINCTS (2014) ROBERT DILLON (B. 1980) collaborations that have produced exciting new art. The ensemble has PERPETULUM (2018) PHILIP GLASS (B. 1937) worked with engineers at the University of Notre Dame, architects at the Frank TORCHED AND WRECKED (2016) SKIDMORE Lloyd Wright Foundation, dancers at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and musicians from traditions ranging from the mbira music of Zimbabwe’s Shona people, to indie rockers, to some of the world’s leading concert musicians. Third Coast Percussion 4045 N Rockwell, Chicago, IL 60618 Third Coast Percussion served as 518-573-9428 . thirdcoastpercussion.com ensemble-in-residence at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Season Sponsor: C. A. Webster Foundation Arts Center from 2013-2018. (Bio continued inside.) (Bio continued.) Coast also hold degrees from the Eastman and rhythm in a player piano performance, A commission for a new work from School of Music, Rutgers University, the New BEND translates these shapes into composer Augusta Read Thomas in 2012 led England Conservatory, and the Yale School volume, tone, and gesture. The to the realization that commissioning new of Music. composer’s experience with the piano rolls musical works can be—and should be—as PROGRAM —through a blurry, decades-old video— inspired an unconventional sound palette collaborative as any other artistic partnership. Donner / Torched and Wrecked Through extensive workshopping and close created with alternative techniques on two The compositions of Third Coast contact with composers, TCP has premiered marimbas. Percussion member David Skidmore are and commissioned new works by Philip performed regularly in concert halls and Resounding Earth Glass, Jlin, Tyondai Braxton, Augusta Read universities across the country. In 2011, his Grammy-award winner Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Georg Friedrich multi-movement work Common Patterns in Thomas was Mead Composer-in- Haas, Donnacha Dennehy, Glenn Kotche, Uncommon Time was commissioned by Residence with the Chicago Symphony Christopher Cerrone, David T. Little and Frank Lloyd Wright scholar Sidney K. from 1997-2006. She is the 16th ever today’s leading up-and-coming composers Robinson to commemorate the 100th University Professor (of five current through their Emerging Composers Anniversary of Taliesin, home of the Frank University Professors) at The University of Partnership Program. TCP’s commissioned Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. In 2007 Chicago, and she was named one of the works have become part of the ensemble’s his piece, Unknown Kind, was premiered at Chicago Tribune’s “Chicagoans of the core repertoire and seen hundreds of Carnegie Hall. He has also received Year” in 2016. performances across four continents. commissions from the Rush Hour Concert Resounding Earth is scored for four The quartet has put its stamp on iconic Series in Chicago, and several leading percussionists playing bells (and bell-like percussion works by John Cage and Steve percussion soloists and pedagogues. instruments) from a wide variety of Reich, and Third Coast has also created first Donner and Torched and Wrecked come cultures and historical periods. The piece recordings of commissioned works by Philip from Skidmore’s cycle of works entitled was conceived as a cultural statement Glass, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté “Aliens with Extraordinary Abilities,” all of celebrating interdependence and Hynes, Gavin Bryars, Donnacha Dennehy, which explore the idea that the same piece of commonality across all cultures; and as a David T. Little, Ted Hearne, and more, in music can move at several different speeds at musical statement celebrating the addition to recordings of the ensemble’s own the same time. The movements of this cycle extraordinary beauty and diversity of compositions. In 2017 the ensemble won the take their cryptic names from memorable TCP expression inherent in bell sounds. Grammy Award for Best Chamber touring experiences. While Donner is an Bells can be used to celebrate grand Music/Small Ensemble Performance for their acoustic work, Torched and Wrecked includes occasions, hold sacrificial rites, keep a recording of Steve Reich’s works for an electronic audio track—David’s most record of events, give the correct time, percussion. intensive work with electronic composition to celebrate births and weddings, mark Third Coast Percussion has always date—which expands and reinforces the live funerals, caution a community, enhance maintained strong ties to the vibrant artistic percussion. Video artist Xuan was any number of religious ceremonies, and community in their hometown of Chicago. commissioned to create accompanying video are even hung around the necks of They have collaborated with Chicago for this and other movements in the cycle. animals. institutions such as Hubbard Street Dance Resounding Earth was commissioned Chicago, the Chicago Children’s Choir, the BEND by The University of Notre Dame's Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the Adler Renowned as a soloist, chamber musician, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, with Planetarium, performed at the grand opening and educator, Third Coast Percussion’s Peter additional funding from The Virginia of Maggie Daley Children’s Park, conducted Martin was Assistant Professor and Director Commonwealth University School of the residencies at the University of Chicago and of Percussion Studies at Virginia Arts, Department of Music, and the the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, created multi- Commonwealth University in Richmond Chamber Music America Classical year collaborative projects with Chicago- before returning to Chicago in 2013 to pursue Commissioning Program, with generous based composers Augusta Read Thomas, TCP full time. Peter has composed music for funding provided by The Andrew W. Glenn Kotche, and chamber ensemble Eighth many of the group’s educational and concert Mellon Foundation, and the Chamber Blackbird, and taught tens of thousands of projects in recent years. Music America Endowment Fund. students through partnerships with the His quartet BEND draws inspiration from People’s Music School, the Chicago Park the player piano compositions of Bruce Goff, Death Wish District, Rush Hour Concerts, Urban a wonderfully unconventional architect and Gemma Peacocke is a composer from Gateways, and others. amateur composer. Many of Goff’s piano rolls New Zealand who currently resides in The four members of Third Coast were highly stylized geometric designs Princeton, NJ. Gemma’s music works in Percussion met while studying percussion perforated into the scrolls, resulting in music both acoustic and electronic sound worlds, music at Northwestern University with Michael that created very clear sonic “shapes.” and she is interested in how music can Burritt and James Ross. Members of Third Whereas these shapes would create the pitch amplify the voices of under-heard groups of people. She is a co-founder of Kinds of Perfectly Voiceless that served as a musical Performing Arts Center at the University of Kings, a collective of US-based composers interlude between choreographed pieces. Notre Dame as part of its 10th anniversary. focused on producing immersive and This work was commissioned by the Perpetulum inclusive work. Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation. About her piece Death Wish, Peacock The project was supported in part by an Through his operas, his symphonies, writes: “I wrote Death Wish after watching a award from the National Endowment for the his compositions for his own ensemble, short film featuring New Zealand survivors of Arts, the Third Coast Percussion New Works and his wide-ranging collaborations with sexual assault. One of the survivors, Fund, and the Elizabeth F Cheney Foundation. artists

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