THE WORLD OF PERCUSSION

A New Web Series

by Dan Smithiger

Premieres March 2016

Tambourine Master Class

Monday, September 14 2015: Catching-up with Casey Cangelosi

Monday, September 14 2015

CATCHING-UP with CASEY CANGELOSI

Composer, educator, and percussionist Casey Cangelosi is an inspiring musician, writing works that are groundbreaking and innovative, and performing at some of today’s most recognized festivals (the PiteD Percussion Repertoire Festival in PiteD, Sweden; the 2010 International Marimba Festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the 2011 Zeltsman Marimba Festival in Appleton, Wisconsin; PASIC 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana; and the Zivkovich International Marimba and Percussion Summer Academy in Engers, Germany.) Cangelosi maintains an active schedule visiting schools across the country. Casey Cangelosi earned his Bachelor of Music at Utah State University; and a Master of Music at The Boston Conservatory & Rice University.

CURRENT PROJECTS

Casey writes, “I have a lot of thanks to give for some recent commissions: An ensemble arrangement of the marimba solo, White Knuckle Stroll, was commissioned and premiered by the University of Missouri at the Midwest Conference in Chicago last December. 2015 commissions include a three movement timpani and piano duet titled Ghoul Theater for timpani and piano by Bill Shaltis and Cristoforo Pasquale, Tap Oratory for Aaron Trumborne, and The Big Audition for Keith Aleo.”

RECENT APOINTMENT AT JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY

Congratulations to Casey on his recent appointment at James Madison University. He’ll be starting in the Fall 2015, and he’s “very excited to do so.” Casey further states, “I think it's going to be fantastic; Harrisonburg is the perfect city for us and campus is beautiful. It's amazing to see the wonderful lifetime of work that Bill Rice has done at James Madison University.” For years   students have requested to study with him at MM and even DMA levels, and now Cangelosi can finally fulfill those requests.”

 http://www.caseycangelosi.com

-Daniel Smithiger (BSP Education Consultant)

Sunday, September 13 2015: The Continuous Cycle


After dinner this evening, I worked for awhile on Thomas' Merlin (2nd movement). I am continually reminded why the composition is wonderful, standing the test of time -30 years. Along with works from Abe Bach, and Daughtrey, my work on marimba is still cut-out.

The summer of 2015 proved to be productive. I made progress on learning solo marimba works (some mentioned above) in preparation for a marimba recital "tour", along with running another great year of the Percussion Institute at SIUE, and planning for the eventually successful 1st annual SIUE Marching Percussion Festival in late August. Black Swamp Percussion had another magnificent year of entries for its Percussion Ensemble Showcase and Solo Multiple Percussion Showcase (Working with Andy Bliss and Eric Willie in the early part of the summer, we reviewed several entries of top quality, making our decisions to pick only a select amount of winners difficult.)

We are in week 4 at SIU Edwardsville. Time has gone extremely fast! SIUE Percussion is working on some great pieces for Percussion Ensemble, SIUE STEEL is preparing for gigs later this semester, and another trip to perform with the Hatters Pan Orchestra in Trinidad (2016) is in the fundraising & planning stages. Meanwhile, students are beginning to flourish and develop, additional departmental duties and service is ongoing, regional judging and clinics are around the corner, preparation for upcoming collaborative performances with colleagues is exciting, and PASIC 2016 is in San Antonio....Onward and upward, as they say.
-Daniel Smithiger (BSP Education Consultant)

Vic Firth

Thoughts and prayers extended to the family and friends of Everett “Vic” Firth (1930 – 2015). His name is amongst the notables in the lexicon of Percussion, contributing significantly as a performer (member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for over fifty-years), holding distinguished teaching positions at the New England Conservatory and Tanglewood Institute, and creating/developing one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sticks and mallets.

Firth was born in Winchester, Massachusetts and raised in Sanford, Maine. He was the son of a successful trumpet and cornet player. Starting on cornet at the age of four, Vic Firth took lessons on a variety of instruments – eventually playing percussion “full-time” by high school. Firth would become the youngest member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and during his tenure he performed for some of the world’s legendary conductors.

Vic Firth’s products and website are widely recognized. Many of his students are teaching in Colleges and Universities, performing as successful recording and touring artists, and holding positions in fine orchestras. His outstanding entrepreneurship reaches world-wide, affecting teachers and students every day. He will certainly be missed, but his legacy will continue.

-Daniel Smithiger (BSP Education Consultant)

Welcome to my Blog!

It is Percussion: All things, Percussion.

I don't make facebook status', because no one really cares if I am eating a cookie, watching one of my cats eat their snacks, or how I am feeling (Let's just be honest).

I will, however use this Blog to share thoughts on Percussion: educational ideas, performances, ongoing trends, artists and products, articles, pas.org, conventions, etc., and everything else in-between. The blog will include topics in marching percussion (DCI Finals this week!), orchestral percussion, chamber percussion, solo percussion, world percussion, drumset and bands, jazz percussion, and any other medium.

In advance, I would like to thank Tim Church and Black Swamp Percussion for encouraging and supporting this idea; I would like to thank Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for their support.

-Dan Smithiger