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February 2023

Saturday February 4: Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony  "La Creation du Monde"

A really fun set for chamber orchestra with my orchestra! Getting to play by myself in the section for: 

Milhaud: La Creation du Monde

Copland: Music for Theatre

Timo Andres: Paraphrase on a Theme of Brian Eno 

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Monday, February 13: Faculty Recital 

I share the stage with my wife for the premiere of a new version of a pieced dedicated to our son by Marta Ptaszynska, "Benjamin's Lullaby," and perform solo works including:

Joseph Schwantner: Velocities

Chen Yi: Jing Marimba

Jerod Tate: Taloowa' Hiloha

Olivier Messiaen: O Sacrum Convivium 

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Saturday, February 28: UNI New Music Festival 

We are thrilled to welcome decorated composer Chen Yi to campus for our 2023 New Music Festival! I'll be performing a solo piece and some chamber music with my colleagues: 

Chen Yi: Jing Marimba

Chen Yi: Qi for Flute, Cello, Piano, Percussion

Tania Leon: De Color for Violin and Marimba

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March 2023

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Saturday, March 4: Shostakovich and Schwabe with WCF Symphony:

The UNI Symphony joins the WCF Symphony for a performance of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, as well the world premiere of "In My Dreams I Became a Traveler" by UNI Composer John Schwabe

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Tuesday, March 7: Outreach Concerts with WCF Symphony: 

The percussion section of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony does two performances for elementary school students in Waterloo

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Tuesday, March 7: 8 pm: Dr. Hannah Porter Occena's Faculty Recital 

Performing Chen Yi's "Qi" for Dr. Occena's faculty flute recital

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Tuesday, March 28: Children's Concerts for the WCF Symphony

A series of concerts for  elementary school students in Waterloo presented by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Percussion Section. 

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April 2023

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Tuesday, April 4: Premiere of Gillingham's "Spencer Variants"

To celebrate Dr. Andrew Spencer's retirement from Central Michigan University, a number of alumni commissioned David Gillingham to write a new percussion ensemble work in his honor. We will return to CMU to give the world premiere for his final percussion ensemble concert. 

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Tuesday, April 25: Masterclass at Iowa State University

I'm looking forward to working with the Dr. Jonathan Sharp's students at ISU!

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Friday, April 29: History of African-American Music with WCF Symphony

Works by William Grant Still, Florence Price, Scott Joplin, and others. 

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May 2023

 

Friday, May 19:  World Premiere of "Nick Adams Stories" at Hemingway's Birth Home

I'm very excited to premiere Griffin Candey's new solo marimba work written for me, based on "The Nick Adams Stories" by Ernest Hemingway, at Hemingway's Birth Home in Oak Park, Illinois! The program will include readings from the stories that inspire each movement, as well as a discussion and q and a with Griffin and myself. 

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This commission was funded by a generous grant from the Iowa Arts Council. 

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Tuesday, May 23 and Wednesday, May 24: Workshop with Princeton Composers

F-PLUS starts our residency with Princeton University's composition departments, workshopping sketches by graduate student composers that will become pieces for premieres in September. 

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June 2023

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Thursday, June 29: World Premiere of Mike Conrad's New Solo Marimba Work

My colleague, Dr. Mike Conrad, and I have collaborated on a new work for solo marimba ased on the poetry of Cedar Falls native James Hearst. This world premiere performance will take place in James Hearst's home in Cedar Falls, the Hearst Center for the Arts, and will include readings of the poems that inspired the movements as well as a q and a with Mike and myself. 

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This commission was funded by a generous grant from the Iowa Arts Council. 

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September 2023

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Saturday, September 2: Labor Day Concert with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony 

**Unable to perform due to testing postive for Covid!

 

Thursday, September 7: Master Class at the University of Iowa

**Postponed due to testing postive for Covid!

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Sunday, September 10: F-PLUS at the DiMenna Center-New York, NY

F-PLUS does an evening of premieres at the DiMenna Center for Music in Manhattan. The program will include: 

Emma O'Halloran: Dream On

Matthew Ricketts: Air Variations

Jessie Montgomery: Trio

Patrick Thompson: New Work 

Zach Gulaboff Davis: New Work 

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Tuesday, September 12: F-PLUS at Princeton Sound Kitchen -Princeton, NJ 

F-PLUS premieres new works by Princeton composers on campus, including composers Bobby Ge, Gemma Peacock, Soo Yeon Lyuh, Kennedy Taylor Dixon, Tom Morrison, and Zoe Gorman.

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October 2023

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Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8: Season Opener with the Dubuque Symphony

I join the Dubuque Symphony for performances of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Jerod Tate's Chokfi'

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Saturday, October 14: Master Class with Staff Sgt. Jeff Grant

The UNI Percussion Studio is joined for a guest master class with my old U of M classmate Jeff Grant of "The President's Own" Marine Band!

 

Monday, October 16 and Tuesday, October 17: Jenny Klukken Residency at UNI

I'm thrilled to welcome my old friend Jenny Klukken to campus for a concert with the percussion ensemble and classes on improvisation! I'll join Jenny for a performance of her piece "Chapters!"

 

Saturday, October 21: UNI Bateria de Samba at Homecoming

The UNI Bateria de Samba marches in the Homecoming Parade, led by myself, showcasing our work on Batucada (a style of samba from Rio de Janeiro). 

 

Saturday, October 21: Bartok with WCF Symphony

I perform Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony

 

Tuesday, October 24: UNI Faculty Recital: Music and Literature 

My solo recital includes three works that were recently written for me by Katherine Pukinskis, Griffin Candey, and Michael Conrad based on Literature. My dear friend Erin Rohde joins as a narrator to read selections from the works that inspired each work. 

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November 2023

Saturday, November 5: "Music and Literature" Recital at St. Charles Public Library (St. Charles, IL)

**Postponed due to illness

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Tuesday, November 7: Master Class at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

I perform selections of some of my recent commissions, and coach several percussion students during this master class

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Saturday, November 11: Veterans' Day Concert with WCF Symphony

Veterans' Day Concert featuring speeches by those who served in the Armed Forces

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Saturday, November 18: Presentation at IMEA

I present, along with my students Aiden Endres and Jess Herron, about four mallet marimba literature for the high school student at Iowa Music Educators Association. 

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Thursday, November 30: UNI Percussion Ensemble Concert

The UNI Percussion Ensemble and Bateria de Samba present our fall concert, including works by David Gillingham, Nigel Westlake, Josh Gottry, and Andrea Venet. 

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January 2024

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Friday, January 26: Into the Light at the Northern Festival of Bands

My percussion colleague Matt Andreini and I perform as soloists with the UNI Wind Ensemble as part of the Northern Festival of Bands on Ivan Trevino's Run Into the Light

 

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February 2024

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Thursday, February 1: Masterclass at the University of Iowa

I will be performing some marimba selections and doing a master class with the University of Iowa percussion studio

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Thursday, February 8: Towards the Sea with Hannah Porter Occena

I perform Toru Takemitsu's Towards the Sea with my wonderful flute colleague Dr. Occena as part of her faculty recital. 

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Thursday, February 22: F-PLUS at the Minnesota Maritime Museum of Art (Winona, MN)

F-PLUS performs music by Emma O'Halloran, Charles Peck, Gemma Peacocke, and the world premiere of Jonathan Schwabe's Autumn Seas as part of the Winona Symphony Chamber Music Series

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Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24: F-PLUS at the UNI New Music Festival 

F-PLUS is in residence at UNI as a featured group for our New Music Festival, including the world premiere of George Tsontakis' Low Bar (Commissioned by the Barlow Endowment). We are thrilled George will be able to join us for the premiere!

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March  2024

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Saturday, March 30: WCF Symphony 

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony performs an Easter concert, featuring Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, John Luther Adams Become River, and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Overture. 

April  2024

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Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27: Star Wars with WCF Symphony

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony will be performing the soundtrack to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back along with the film!

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May  2024

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Friday, May 3: Master Class with the University of Maryland

I will be performing some marimba selections and doing a master class with the University of Maryland percussion studio - 1 pm 

 

Sunday, May 5: F-PLUS at National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.) 1 pm and 3 pm

F-PLUS will perform the east coast premiere of George Tsontakis' Low Bar, along with selections from George's Portraits of El Greco (paired with the museum's large collection of the Renaissance master's paintings). Additional music by Gemma Peacocke. 

 

Friday, May 31: World premiere of Crystalite Polyphonies with Chen Quartet 

I am so excited to present the world premiere of Marta Ptaszynska's new work for marimba and string quartet with Robert Chen, Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony, and his family string quartet! The performance will include a number of works by Marta, and be held at the Polish Consulate of Chicago. 

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