ACC Music
Faculty Percussion Recital
Dr. Jordan Walsh
Thursday, March 28th
7:30 PM
Highland Recital Hall
Program
Jordan Walsh
(b. 1993)
Moto Perpetuo (World Premiere)
instrument: Multi-Percussion
Program Notes:
“Originally written as a cadenza for J. Andrew Smith’s Rage/Remit, Moto Perpetuo is a short exploration of 3 melodic motives performed on the Xenakis multiple percussion setup.” - Walsh
Jordan Walsh
(b. 1993)
B_MINUS
Instrument: Bells + SuperCollider
Program Notes:
“B_MINUS is an audible representation of the learning process. The percussionist plays a constant stream of notes, slowly adding more complex patterns as the piece progresses. The electronics are pushed forward by the effort of the player: they start out slowly, gaining speed and density until they eventually line up with the percussionist.” - Walsh
Iannis Xenakis
(1922-2001)
Rebonds a
instrument: Multi Percussion
Program Notes:
“Rebonds is in two parts, a and b. The order of play is not fixed: either ab or ba, without a break. The metronomic indications are approximate. Part a only uses skins: two bongos, three tom-toms, two bass drums. Part b uses two bongos, one tumba, one tom-tom, bass drums, and a set of five wood blocks. The tuning of the skins and the wood blocks should extend over a very wide range.” - Xenakis
Sophie Mathieu
(b. 1997)
dissolve (World Premiere)
instrument: Vibraphone + Max/MSP
Program Notes:
“dissolve is an exploration of the everyday objects and places that, when viewed through the lens of trauma, can take on a dark significance. It conveys a journey towards emotional neutrality with these triggers, and culminates in a reflection on finding equilibrium amidst the turbulence of past experiences.” -Mathieu
Georges Aperghis
(b. 1945)
Le Corps â Corps
instrument: Theatrical Percussion
Program Notes:
Le corps a corps by Georges Aperghis is a violent, bloody tale of a race between two competitors, represented through several contexts: racer against racer, human voice against drum, and mortal against mortality. The percussionist is called upon to perform the roles of the racers, the car or chariot, commentators, and the audience. The story is developed by juxtaposing linguistic gestures, percussive language, and spoken text in an additive fashion. While the gestures and drumming scenes last a progressively shorter period of time as the piece intensifies, the bits of text that compose the story additively reveal greater portions of the entire story. The musical gestures and voice crash against each other with increasing furiousity all the way to the finish line of the piece. The piece is scored for zarb, a Persian hand drum, but has been performed on several different types of hand drums; tonight’s performance employs a doumbek. The numerous instructions for the performer’s physical movements and spoken text are in accordance with a great portion of Aperghis’ output, which blurs the already thin line between music and theater.
Dan VanHassel
(b. 1981)
fzzl
instrument: Snare Drum + Max/MSP
Program Notes:
“fzzl fuses the acoustic and electronic through the use of a small transducer attached to the bottom of the snare drum. This allows electronic sounds produced by the computer to resonate through the drum rather than separate speakers. Using a contact microphone, the drum is used to trigger and interact with all sorts of electronic modifications and extensions of its sound. The piece is influenced by West African dance-drumming, as well as hip-hop and experimental electronica.” - VanHassel
Hunter Prueger
(b. 1996)
Dallas
instrument: Marimba + Voice
Program Notes:
“Dallas is a track from Tendencies, the debut album of Preuger’s experimental folk band Middle Sattre. Prueger’s writing fuses electroacoustic compositional conventions with heart wrenching lyricism and dense layering. Normally performed by an eight piece ensemble almost entirely made up of string instruments, tonight’s performance is an arrangement for vocalist and marimba.” - Walsh
Ivan Trevino
(b. 1983)
Baila, from Songbook Volume 2
instrument: Marimba + Voice
Program Notes:
“When I composed Song Book, Vol. 1 for solo marimba in 2011, I did so with an emphasis on songwriting techniques as opposed to academic, compositional structures. Through this songwriting lens, I created little “tunes” with simple melodic and rhythmic hooks, some of which were conceived away from the marimba, through singing. With Song Book, Vol. 2, I wanted to stretch the boundaries even further. This collection of five songs requires the marimbist to play and sing simultaneously, featuring the marimba as a singer-songwriter instrument, much like an acoustic guitar or piano. It is my hope that Song Book, Vol. 2 helps expand the scope of the marimba beyond a solo, classical instrument, and demonstrates the instruments versatility within the songwriting genre.” - Trevino
Dr. Jordan Walsh
Jordan Walsh is a percussionist, audio engineer, and educator based in Austin, Texas. A proponent of electronics and theater in music, he strives to perform the most absurd music with the most genuine fervor. Jordan frequently commissions and performs new works in both chamber and solo settings, including recent collaborations with composers including Elainie Lillios, Akshaya Avril Tucker, Kitty Xiao, and José Martinez. Frequently engaged as a solo performer, Jordan has performed as a guest at the SEAMUS conference, the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Southwestern University, and the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. He is a founding member of Less Than 10 Music, principal percussionist/personnel manager for the Density512 new music collective, and a founding member of the Up/Down percussion quartet.
Jordan’s work as a performer is largely defined by his dual interest in audio technology. As an audio engineer, Jordan has acted as in-house engineer for a number of Density 512 projects, plus independent work with artists including Kenken Gorder, Colin McCall, Ciyadh Wells, Peter Steiner, and more. Jordan’s work as an electroacoustic composer and performer led him to form the Electronic Integration Project, a dual commissioning and pedagogical effort intended to teach electroacoustic performance practice to performers. Jordan currently serves as Assistant Professor of Applied Percussion at Southwestern University and as Adjunct Associate Professor of Percussion & Audio Technology at Austin Community College. Jordan holds both a Doctorate and Master’s Degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor’s degree from Columbus State University. His primary teachers have included Thomas Burritt, Tony Edwards, Paul Vaillancourt, Ryan Smith, and Erik Forst. Jordan proudly endorses Sabian Cymbals, Black Swamp Percussion, and Artifact Percussion.