Third Coast Percussion: Perspectives Saturday, July 10, 2021 | 7:30 PM The Breakers Lawn Third Coast Percussion David Skidmore Robert Dillon Peter Martin Sean Connors Thank you to our generous concert sponsors: Leslie Hogan | Kathy and Doug O’Brien | Jackie Savoie and Dr. Dennis McCool - - - - - - - - - - - - DEVONTÉ HYNES "Press" from For All Its Fury (arr. by TCP) PHILIP GLASS Metamorphosis I (arr. by Peter Martin) PETER MARTIN BEND CLARICE ASSAD Hero (arr. by Robert Dillon) GEMMA PEACOCKE Deathwish JLIN “Duality” from Perspective DANNY ELFMAN Percussion Quartet This program will conclude at approximately 8:45 PM. - - - - - - - - - - - - PROGRAM NOTES The virtuosic repertoire featured on tonight’s program highlights the incredible possibilities of percussion instruments, as a platform for composers and music creators of many styles. Four-time Oscar nominee Danny Elfman is known for his iconic work composing for the screen (his hundreds of credits include The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Simpsons), but his career in recent years has also included a number of concert works. His four-movement percussion quartet shows elements of the distinctive Elfman sound, as well as other music he loves, from Shostakovich to American minimalism to Indonesian Gamelan. Elfman composed this quartet for Third Coast Percussion at the request of Philip Glass, whose music has figured prominently in TCP’s concerts. In addition to commissioning Glass for his first percussion ensemble piece, TCP has arranged a number of Glass’s existing pieces, which fit beautifully on keyboard percussion instruments such as vibraphone, glockenspiel, and marimba. The marimba (the xylophone’s warmer-sounding cousin) has provided a new expressive range to percussionists in recent decades. BEND by Third Coast member Peter Martin draws unexpected sounds from the instruments with bows and wooden rasps as well as typical yarn mallets, while composer Gemma Peacocke demonstrates the emotional power of these instruments in her piece Death Wish, which is dedicated to Hinewirangi Kohu-Morgan, a survivor of sexual assault, advocate, and artist in Gemma’s native New Zealand. Deep collaboration with musicians of many kinds have helped Third Coast Percussion to open new expressive avenues, and tonight’s program includes a taste of recent collaborations with Devonté Hynes (AKA Blood Orange), innovative EDM producer Jlin, and Brazilian-American composer/multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Clarice Assad and her father, legendary guitarist Sérgio Assad. More information on each of these projects and TCP’s other music can be found at the ensemble’s website: www.thirdcoastpercussion.com - - - - - - - - - - - - MUSICIAN BIOS THIRD COAST PERCUSSION Third Coast Percussion is a Grammy Award-winning Chicago-based percussion quartet. For fifteen years, the ensemble has created exciting and unexpected performances that constantly redefine the classical music experience. The ensemble has been praised for “commandingly elegant” (New York Times) performances, the “rare power” (Washington Post) of their recordings, and “an inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune). Third Coast Percussion maintains a busy tour schedule, with past performances in 35 of the 50 states and Washington, DC, plus international tour dates across four continents. Through extensive workshopping and close contact with composers, Third Coast Percussion has commissioned and premiered new works by Philip Glass, Clarice Assad, Devonté Hynes, Jlin, Tyondai Braxton, Danny Elfman, Augusta Read Thomas, Donnacha Dennehy, Glenn Kotche, Christopher Cerrone, Georg Friedrich Haas, David T. Little and today’s leading up-and-coming composers through their Currents Creative Partnership program. TCP’s commissioned works have become part of the ensemble’s core repertoire and seen hundreds of performances around the world. Third Coast Percussion has recorded iconic percussion works by John Cage and Steve Reich, and first recordings of commissioned works by Philip Glass, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Gavin Bryars, Donnacha Dennehy, David T. Little, Ted Hearne, and more, in addition to the ensemble’s own compositions. In 2017 the ensemble won the Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for their recording of Steve Reich’s works for percussion. In 2020 Third Coast received its second nomination in the same category for Perpetulum, and in 2021 they received their third nomination for Fields, with music by Devonté Hynes. .