Percussion ensembles

percussion lesson

 

Welcome to percussion ensembles at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music!

CU Boulder percussion ensembles celebrate percussion in many ways, exploring the great works of the repertoire鈥擵ar猫se鈥檚 鈥淚onisation,鈥 Chavez鈥檚 鈥淭occata,鈥 Cage鈥檚 鈥淎mores鈥 and 鈥淐onstructions,鈥 Lou Harrison鈥檚 鈥淪uite鈥 and Hovhaness鈥 鈥淥ctober Mountain,鈥 among others. Works by sophisticated groove master Dan Levitan are featured on almost every concert and, since we perform chamber music, pieces range in size from duos to large conducted works.

Our percussion ensembles also improvise in jazz and free styles. A recent hit was Music for Percussion Quartet & 3 Jazz Players, Latin-Jazz works by Roland Vazquez. Many CU Boulder percussion students play jazz and the percussion ensembles provide them an opportunity to develop their improvisation skills.

Interpretation and depth of expression are stressed in our marimba ensemble which performs commissioned works, transcriptions from the masters, and Mexican and Guatemalan traditional works and improvisations.

Students are featured as soloists in every concert鈥攑laying solos, concertos and works they've composed.

Personnel

Douglas Walter
Professor of Percussion + Jazz

Carl Dixon
Lecturer, Percussion

Mike Tetreault
Teaching Assistant Professor, Percussion Specialist for Large Ensembles

Contact

Douglas Walter, Director
walterdw@colorado.edu
303-492-8240
, S233