That’s what our 2-year-old grandson, Lucca, calls me. Lucca now has a baby sister, our second grandchild, Siena, who just came into the world. When our daughters were born back in the 1980s, everyone said, “Enjoy it while you can because they grow up so fast.” It is so true and I understand this fully… Read more »
As indicated in earlier blog postings, I regularly receive questions about percussion performance and history through email. Below are three such communications – Questions (Q) and my responses (A): Question about my ragtime xylophone arrangements Question about the clapper in “Rogosanti” by James Wood Question about a recording made by George Hamilton Green Question 1)… Read more »
Those were the words given to us by our “high school” orchestra conductor, Thor Johnson, when we were playing a difficult new work by a Japanese composer in the mid-1960s. If you say each word on four beats, fitting the syllables equally in each beat, it helps create a rhythm of 2 + 3 +… Read more »
Music Is Healing Of course, many of us have known this for a long time, but research is coming out more frequently to tell us how and why it is true. Certain sounds can lower your stress level, increase your creative focus and make you more productive! I’m often told that the music of Woodstock… Read more »
We received a great review of our Maverick Hall concert, from the Boston Musical Intelligencer, “a virtual journal and essential blog of the classical music scene in greater Boston”. Here are a few excerpts from Leslie Gerber’s review: “These virtuosi handled the difficult score with confidence and verve…”
My day job is making Woodstock Chimes but at night I come out to play. I recently had the privilege once again to play timpani with the Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra and the local Mendelssohn Club Men’s Chorus. We were joined by student guest performers from the Anderson Center for Autism. The Anderson Center students… Read more »
Watch the video HERE.
CONGRATULATIONS to Bob Becker who has been named as one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of the Year. Musical America says, “As a composer, arranger, and founding member of the NEXUS percussion ensemble, Bob Becker has influenced virtually every aspect of percussion performance and repertoire in the profession. And he is renowned as a… Read more »
I joined Steve Reich and Musicians in 1979, touring and recording with them for nearly 40 years. Steve’s music transcends all boundaries. One unique technique Steve developed is called “phasing,” where two players begin in unison (playing the same material in the same time) and one speeds up slightly until a “canon” is formed. This… Read more »
On November 8, 2017, I was presented with the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts which is conferred by the World Cultural Council (WCC). The award ceremony was held at Leiden University in the Netherlands and many dignitaries were in attendance including Sabine Nölke, Canadian Ambassador to the Netherlands. The World Cultural Council is… Read more »
On November 8th, Russell received the World Award of Arts from the World Cultural Council. The ceremony took place at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.
It was quite a week in Indianapolis. NEXUS record producer Ray Dillard gave a clinic on “Tips and Techniques for Recording Percussion in the Modern Era” with the help of Escape X. Ray has done a few of these clinics now, and tries to make each one different – including different jokes, folks! This one… Read more »
Russell Hartenberger receives the World Award of Arts tomorrow in the Netherlands. The award ceremony will be live-streamed at 15:00 Amsterdam time (I believe that is 09:00, Toronto time.) Info is on the World Cultural Council website: http://www.consejoculturalmundial.org
Click HERE to read Garry’s blog entry about playing timpani on a recent program with the Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra.
In 1982 I was able to organize a commission for a new work from the distinguished Canadian composer John Hawkins. His piece Dance Variations is included on the NEXUS CD Rune, which was released in 1997. The recording was made by the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Köln, Germany following a concert there by NEXUS in July… Read more »
