2021 MSM Virtual Percussion Summit

Grammy Award–winning percussionist Christopher Lamb has been hailed as a dynamic and versatile performer. His debut solo performance with the New York Philharmonic came with the World Premiere of Joseph Schwantner’s Percussion Concerto. Two more concertos; Water Percussion by Tan Dun and Echo Tempo by Susan Botti soon followed.  A Fulbright Scholar’s Award took Mr. Lamb to the Victorian College of the Arts in 1999 where he began teaching his course A Comprehensive Examination of Classical Percussion Training. He has been on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music since 1989.

 

She-e Wu has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as Philadelphia Orchestra, performed at numerous festivals including the Bach Symposium/Variation Festival at Lincoln Center and at institutions internationally. Ms. Wu has composed works for percussion, released various recordings, commissioned new works, designed mallets and instruments, held symposiums, adjudicated competitions worldwide and serves on the Board of Advisors for Percussive Arts Society. Professor Wu is the director of percussion program at Northwestern University, frequent artist teacher at the Royal College of Music in London and consultant at Manhattan School of Music.

Duncan Patton was principal timpanist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for 33 years, and has been on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music since 1989. In addition to his work as a performer and educator, he is also a composer, and author of the acclaimed book “The Artist Timpanist.”

Kyle Zerna has been assistant timpanist and percussionist with the New York Philharmonic since 2010.

He is on faculty at Manhattan School of Music and has also taught at Rutgers University. Kyle also enjoys DJing and collecting records.

 

Steven Schick Percussionist, conductor, and author Steven Schick was born in Iowa and raised in a farming family.  He was hailed by Alex Ross in the New Yorker as, “one of our supreme living virtuosos, not just of percussion but of any instrument.” Steven Schick is Distinguished Professor of Music and is the inaugural holder of the Reed Family Presidential Chair at the University of California, San Diego. He was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2014.

 

Stefon Harris’s passionate artistry and astonishing virtuosity have propelled him to the forefront of the jazz scene. The Los Angeles times acknowledge him as “one of the most important young artists in jazz.” He has earned four Grammy nominations, and has been named Best Mallet player seven times by the Jazz Journalist Association.  Mr. Harris is currently Director of Curriculum Development at the Brubeck Institute, Artistic Director of Jazz Education at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), and Visiting Professor at Rutgers University, as well as teaching throughout the world through his Distance Learning Lab. He has been on the faculty of New York University for the past decade.

 

John Riley Critically acclaimed performer, author and teacher, John Riley has worked with the world’s leading Jazz musicians for over 40 years. A four-time GRAMMY award winner and 14-time nominee, John has played on hundreds of recordings and at major venues with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and many others.  John is the author of The Art of Bop Drumming, currently published in five languages, Beyond Bop Drumming, The Jazz Drummer’s Workshop and the DVD The Master Drummer.  John has a BM in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, 1975, and an MM in Jazz Studies from the Manhattan School of Music, 1985. He is on the faculty of Manhattan School of Music and Kutztown University, an Artist in Residence at the Amsterdam Conservatory in Holland and has given master classes around the world.

 

Named a “Rising Star” by Downbeat Magazine and a “Drummer Whose Time is Now” by the New York Times, Kendrick Scott is a premier drummer and composer of his generation.  As a performer, Scott has toured worldwide and recorded with a wide array of artists including Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, The Crusaders, Joshua Redman, Robert Glasper, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, and Terence Blanchard.  As a composer, Kendrick’s pieces have been played on Grammy winning records and has won a 2017 Chamber Music of America New Works Grant funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. NPR calls his works, “Sprawling, cinematic compositions.”

Mike Perdue is a composer, percussionist, and operations manager in New York City. His career as a performer spans numerous genres and settings, including chamber music, orchestra, solo percussion, and drum corps. As a chamber player, Perdue has appeared with New York groups Tactus and Ensemble Mise-En, Atlanta’s Sonic Generator, and Alia Musica Pittsburgh. He was a main stage evening concert soloist at the 2005 PASIC convention in Columbus, Ohio. As a composer, he has received commissions from the RighteousGIRLS duo Gina Izzo and Erika Dohi, marimbist She-e Wu, the 2012 Acht Brücken festival in Cologne, and the Norway-based NorthArc Percussion.

Jude Traxler is an experimental and conceptual artist living in NYC. Directing the historic MSM percussion ensemble with Mike Perdue, Jude has spent his career creating and curating musical works that push the listener in new corners of the avant-garde.

Marc Damoulakis is the Principal Percussionist of The Cleveland Orchestra.  Throughout his career, Marc has performed and recorded as a guest artist with many major orchestras and has participated at various chamber music festivals. Mr. Damoulakis is Co-Chair of the Percussion department at the Cleveland Institute of Music and has led masterclasses and clinics throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

Multi-faceted percussionist, Rolando Morales-Matos, is a most sought-after Broadway, Latin, Jazz, and Classical musician. He has toured worldwide performing at major jazz festivals and venues as a percussionist of Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet, as well as appearing with artists such as Paquito D’Rivera, John Legend, Alice Cooper, Dave Samuels, Dave Valentine, Willie Colon, amongst others. Rolando has recorded with Ron Carter, Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Birdland Big Band, as well as numerous film soundtracks, jingles and classical works. In 2006, Rolando was the recipient of Drum Magazine’s World Beat Percussionist of the Year Award. Since 1997, he has been the Percussionist and Assistant Conductor of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, The Lion King.

Vern Griffiths joined the Vancouver Symphony as Principal Percussionist in 1997 — two weeks after he finished his Masters degree at MSM, studying with Christopher Lamb and Duncan Patton. He has appeared as soloist 60 times with the Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Toronto Symphonies, and the Calgary Philharmonic, in a kids show with orchestra that he wrote called Wall to Wall Percussion. Recently he has also been featured as soloist with the VSO and the Victoria Symphony in the new percussion concerto Perxploitation, written for him by Canadian composer Nicole Lizée. 2019 saw his VSO conducting debut in several programs, with more conducting coming up in 2021 and 2022. He teaches at the UBC School of Music, the VSO School of Music, and also the VSO Institute each summer.

Matt Decker joined the Seattle Symphony Orchestra in 2016.  Prior to the SSO, he spent two seasons in the North Carolina Symphony and was also a fellow of the New World Symphony.  He has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic, and Sun Valley Symphony. Matt is on faculty at the Eastern Music Festival.

Percussionist Joseph Tompkins has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, among many others. He has played in twenty-three productions on Broadway and has recorded soundtracks for a number of major films. For seven years he was a member of the percussion trio Timetable, a group committed to commissioning and performing new works for percussion. Tompkins has composed a number of internationally recognized works for snare drum and has been commissioned as a composer by the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and Atlanta Symphony percussion sections. He has given masterclasses throughout the United States and across Europe. Joseph Tompkins is chair of the percussion department at Rutgers University.

Wilson Torres Broadway credits include Tony and Grammy Award winning musical “In the Heights”, “Les Misérables” (25th anniversary revival), “Lysistrata Jones”, “The Wiz” (Encores),“On Your Toes” (Encores), “Cabin in the Sky” (Encores) and more. Tours: “Lion King” (1st National), “Lion King” (Cheetah) and “Wicked” (1st National). Orchestral credits include San Francisco Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Staten Island Symphony and Albany Symphony. Film/TV: Smash, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Oceans 8, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Fosse/Verdon, West Side Story and In The Heights.

Brazilian percussionist and educator Rogério Boccato plays in projects led by some of today’s leading jazz players, among them Maria Schneider, John Patitucci, Fred Hersch, Brian Blade, Kurt Elling, Danilo Perez and many others. He has also collaborated with top-ranking Brazilian artists, such as Toninho Horta, Moacir Santos, Zé Renato and Vinicius Cantuária. Rogério Boccato has been a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music , NYU and of the Percussion department of The Hartt School (University of Hartford) teaching Brazilian Music and Ritmica.

Vadim Karpinos, joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2001 as the Percussion/Assistant Principal Timpani.  Vadim has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Chicago Symphony and has performed with many orchestras. He is an adjunct faculty member at Roosevelt University and serves on the board of advisors to The New Music School in Chicago.

Steven White joined the MET Orchestra as a percussionist and assistant timpanist in February 2017. He also holds the position of Principal Percussion of the Classical Tahoe Festival in Incline Village, NV. Steven is an active collaborator and clinician, with recent engagements at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Twickenham Fest. (Huntsville, AL)

Matt Prendergast has been Principal Percussionist of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra since 2009.  As guest principal percussion, Matt has performed with several orchestras, including the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.

Shaun Trubiano joined the Opera Australia Orchestra as Principal Percussion in 2011 at the Sydney Opera House.  Previously a Fellow with the New World Symphony Orchestra, Shaun has performed with the Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, toured nationally with New Zealand Symphony and with Australian World Orchestra.

Joe Kelly is the Assistant Timpanist/Section Percussionist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.  Before joining the TSO he spent one season as a percussion fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami, Florida.  Joe is also an alumnus of the Lucerne Festival Academy and the Tanglewood Music Center.

Jay Ritchie joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal Timpani and Section Percussion in 2016. He has also appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and a variety of other ensembles and festivals around the world. An active educator, Jay has given masterclasses at conservatories and universities throughout the US, and maintains a private teaching studio in Detroit.

Nick Sakakeeny joined the FWSO in 2018 as Assistant Principal Timpanist and Percussionist. He has worked with ensembles including the International Contemporary Ensemble, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Civic Orchestra of Chicago. A native of Oberlin, OH, Nick attended the Manhattan School of Music for his undergraduate studies before completing his master’s degree at Northwestern University. His teachers have included Marc Damoulakis, Duncan Patton, Christopher Lamb, and She-e Wu.

A native of Japan, Mayumi Sekizawa is a marimbist who has performed as a soloist across the United States, Europe and Asia. She has won many national and international solo competitions, including First Prize at the Japan Classical Music Competition 1994, First Prize at the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition 2000, and the Marimba Special Mention Award at the IBLA Grand Prize International Competition 2003. In 2005, she appeared at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York. Her debut solo CD was released from Aurora Classical in Japan, and her compositions have been published by Bachovich Music Publications in the United States and Komaki Music in Japan. Ms. Sekizawa received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in marimba from Musashino College of Music in Japan. She also holds a master’s degree and professional studies certificate in percussion from Manhattan School of Music.

Waichi Champion is a percussionist and educator based in Dallas, Texas. She has performed with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Spectrum Ensemble and International Chamber Artists of Chicago. She is a former member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.  Ms. Champion has also won numerous awards in solo marimba competitions including the Southern California Marimba Competition, the PASIC solo competition and the Great Plains Marimba Competition.

Born and based in the U.K, James Larter enjoys a varied career crossing many different genres and styles. He is a regular guest for the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the English National Opera and the Philharmonia.  As a soloist he is the recipient of a Yamaha European Scholarship and has performed on BBC Radio 3 as marimba soloist with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also the winner of the MSM Concerto Competition 2017, performing Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto.  James is currently working on a range of compositions for Percussion and Electronics which are published on Bachovich Publications. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, London and finished his Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Christopher Lamb, Kyle Zerna, She-e Wu and Duncan Patton. He was also a fellow at the Music Academy of the West in 2017.

Alan Stewart is the Associate Principal Percussionist of the St. Louis Symphony. Alan is also an avid freelance percussionist, performing with orchestras throughout the US, including the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony. Past summer engagements have included summer engagements with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, the Cabrillo Music Festival, and the Verbier Festival Orchestra.

Percussionist Michael Jarrett joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra percussion section in 2017. Prior to joining the VSO, he was a member of the New World Symphony. As a guest percussionist, he has performed with The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and Toronto Symphony. Michael holds a bachelor’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music.

Marcelina Suchocka is a Percussion Fellow at the New World Symphony. She has performed as a percussionist with the Chicago Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Utah Symphony. She has also performed as a concerto soloist with the Chicago Symphony. Ms. Suchocka has spent summers as a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, Pacific Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, National Repertory Orchestra and Spoleto Festival.

Kevin Ritenauer is currently a fellow at the New World Symphony and has also performed as extra with The Cleveland Orchestra, and The National Symphony, among others. Mr. Ritenauer was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and Music Academy of the West.

Alyson Rzeszotarski joined the percussion section of the Canton Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2017, and served as acting principal for the 2019-2020 season. Ms. Rzeszotarski performs regularly with many regional orchestras including the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Akron Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Symphony, New World Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and the Israel Philharmonic. Ms. Rzeszotarski received both her bachelor’s degree as well as a master’s degree in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Christopher Lamb, Duncan Patton, Erik Charlston, and She-e Wu.

Riley Barnes received first place for Division I for the 2019 Modern Snare Drum Competition and was a member of Texas Music Festival and Eastern Music Festival.