From Chimalong Junior to Chimalong Panacea, it’s all about children and music. In the early 1980s when Diane and I started our family, there were no high-quality musical instruments on the market for children that I was aware of. So I had an idea to take the musically tuned tubes from our line of Woodstock… Read more »
Persian Songs selection now on Radio Airplay
If you are a fan of internet radio, you can now hear one of our new Persian Songs tracks featuring Sepideh Raissadat on Radio Airplay: “Vajd; Ta Dami Bissayam” (“Ecstasy; A Moment of Ease”). The lyrics for this beautiful piece were written by Sheykh Bahayi (1547-1621). The piece was composed by Reza Ghassemi and arranged… Read more »
The NEXUS Network of Connections with Timpanists
A few years ago Russell Hartenberger put together a chart which shows the network of connections between timpanists and members of NEXUS. For anyone who might be interested, here it is; enjoy!
Lots of Music – November 2015 (Part 4)
On Sunday November 15 Kaz, Aya, Nonoka, Michael Burritt and I flew back home from the San Antonio PASIC to Rochester by way of Charlotte, NC. The three visitors from Japan were our guests for a few days. It was a very clear dark night when we finally arrived at my house, and as we… Read more »
Lots of Music – November 2015 (Part 3)
On November 11, my 69th birthday (whaaat!) I flew to San Antonio for the 40th Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the annual gathering of about 6000 percussionists/drummers from all over the world. After checking in to my hotel I contacted Kazunori Meguro (‘Kaz’), who had just arrived from Tokyo and who was staying at the… Read more »
Lots of Music – November 2015 (Part 2)
Saturday, November 7th was the date for the opening of the new Center for Mallet Percussion Research at Kutztown University – a 4-1/2-hour drive into central Pennsylvania. I arrived at the University’s Schaeffer Auditorium around noon and met with Dr. Frank Kumor, the Assistant Professor of Percussion Studies, and Dr. Willis Rapp, the retired professor… Read more »
Lots of Music – November 2015 (Part 1)
November 2015 was a month filled with lots of diverse and intense musical activities. It started on October 31 – Halloween – with a concert by ROCdrummers at the David F, Gantt Community Center in Rochester, NY. It was the first-ever performance by the after school drum ensemble comprised of public school students. The kids… Read more »
NEXUS and the Toronto Children’s Chorus
NEXUS recently performed in Toronto with the Toronto Children’s Chorus. The concert took place in the magnificent St. Anne’s Church, which was founded in 1862 and reconstructed in 1920 in the style of the Byzantine Revival. The church interior is decorated and painted with murals by artists who were members of Canada’s famous Group of… Read more »
Grand Opening – The Center for Mallet Percussion Research
On Saturday November 7, 2015 I’m in Pennsylvania to present a session on “The Xylophone in Acoustic Recordings 1877-1929” for the grand opening of the new Center for Mallet Percussion Research at Kutztown University.
“Persian Songs” now available at CDBaby!!!
Our latest CD, “Persian Songs” is now available on CDBaby. Click here, or go to www.cdbaby.com and search on “Nexus percussion”.
A busy autumn: CDs, Choirs, and Conferences
We’ve been having a really wonderful fall. Our newly launched CD “Persian Songs” with Sepideh Raissadat has garnered a terrific review from The Wholenote magazine’s Andrew Timar. He calls it “an exhilarating listening experience”!
A Day of Meritas
On Oct. 22, 2014 Ruth and I presented two 45-minute workshops for about 40 middle and high school students visiting Rochester as part of the Meritas education program. Meritas is a family of schools that support PreK-12 education through the organization’s unique approach to personalized learning, which prepares students to succeed at their top choice college… Read more »
ROC Drummers – A New Direction
ROC Drummers is a new after school hand drumming program that is intended to provide an opportunity for young participants to experience the joy of making music, while simultaneously gaining the acquisition of valuable life skills – setting and achieving personal goals, and working with others towards common goals. The program, which began on September… Read more »
Let Earth Resound! NEXUS with Toronto Children’s Chorus Oct 24th
We hope you will join us in Toronto for our concert with the Toronto Children’s Chorus at St Anne’s Church, 270 Gladstone. It is an afternoon concert, beginning at 3 pm. We are really looking forward to working once again with this exceptional group. The TCC has been around for almost as long as NEXUS… Read more »
Woodstock Film Festival Celebrates Tyler’s Story
Right here in the little village of Woodstock, NY, a major film festival is now in its 16th year: WoodstockFilmFestival.com. This season, I am happy to report that our 8-minute film, Chimes for Autism: Tyler’s Story, was accepted in the short documentary category and had two sold out screenings during the festival. There were five… Read more »
