(tal) adj. having to do with rhythmic cycles in Indian music
Lujon (loo-zhon) n. a metal log drum
Talujon (tal-loo-zhon) n. a four-member drum ensemble that performs classic and new music using traditional -- and not-so-traditional -- instrumentsMary Alice Bitts, Intelligencer Journal
Talujon
Described by the New York Times as an ensemble possessing an "edgy, unflagging energy", the Talujon Percussion Quartet has been mesmerizing audiences since 1991. Talujon is thoroughly committed to the expansion of the contemporary percussion repertoire as well as the education and diversification of its worldwide audience.
Based in New York City, Talujon performs regularly for such highly regarded organizations as the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Bang on a Can, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, Harvard University the Percussive Art Society. Talujon has appeared in universities and concert halls throughout the U.S., and on such festivals as the Taipei Lantern Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave Festival, Chautauqua, California's Festival of New American Music, Bang on a Can Marathon and at the Percussive Art Society’s International Convention. Recently, Talujon has worked with composers Meredith Monk, Julia Wolfe and Eric Moe. This season, Talujon will tour Europe with Steve Reich and the Bang on a Can All-Stars.
For the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts series, Talujon developed the program "A World of Influences", which incorporates Talujon group compositions featuring homemade instruments and traditional instruments from six continents. The group has also given Master classes/workshops at institutions such as the Julliard School, Long Island Children’s Museum, University of Buffalo and the University of Virginia
Talujon's CD, "...the speed of the passing time...", features the works of Xenakis, Harrison, Rzewski, Shapey and Talujon. The group's first CD, "Hum", includes live performances of works by Reich, Cage, Drummond, and Talujon.Talujon is available for concerts, masterclasses, residencies, and workshops.
David Cossin is a specialist in new and experimental music, David has worked across a broad spectrum of musical and artistic forms to incorporate new media with percussion.
David Cossin has recorded and performed internationally with composers and ensembles including the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Steve Reich and Musicians, Philip Glass, Yo-Yo Ma, Meredith Monk, Tan Dun, Cecil Taylor, Talujon Percussion Quartet,and the trio, Real Quiet. Numerous theater projects include collaborations with Blue Man Group, Mabou Mines, and director Peter Sellars. David was featured as the percussion soloist in Tan Dun’s Grammy and Oscar winning score to Ang Lee’s film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
David has performed as a soloist with orchestras through out the world including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestra Radio France, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Sao Paulo State Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Gothenburg Symphony, Hong Kong Symphony, and the Singapore Symphony.
David ventures into other art forms include sonic installations, which havebeen presented in New York, Italy and Germany. David is also an active composer and has invented several new instruments, which expand the limits of traditional percussion. David is the curator for the Sound Res Festival, an experimental music festival in southern Italy and also teaches percussion at Queens College in New York City.
DR. DOMINIC DONATO is active as a percussion soloist, chamber musician, composer and teacher. He is a member of the Talujon Percussion Quartet and DoublePlay Percussion Duo and has been staff percussionist for the Composers Conference at Wellesley College for the past 20 years.
As a soloist Dominic has performed in New York, Rome, Amsterdam, and in Paris where he gave the French premiere of Iannis Xenakis' Percussion
Concerto, Omega. He was invited to the Donaueschingen Music Festival to premiere James Tenney's Song 'n' Dance for Harry Partch with the SWR
Symphony Orchestra and he was featured soloist for Iannis Xenakis' Ais
for Amplified Baritone, Percussion Soloist and Large Orchestra at the
Gulbenkian Festival in Lisbon, Portugal.
In May 2001 Dominic presented his first concert of all tamtam music
(TAMTAM I) which became the inspiration for his "Music for Tamams"
Project. This first concert featured James Tenney's Having Never Written
a Note for Percussion and two versions of John Cage's One4 along with
new pieces by Helen Lee and himself. Since that concert he has
commissioned and performed a number of compositions featuring tamtams from a number of very talented composers including Peter Jarvis, Stuart Jones, Elizabeth Hoffman, Eric Moe, Steven Ricks and Ushio Torikai. He has also written a number of pieces that feature tamtam, most recently using the Electrix Repeater as a means to expand the possibilities in live performance. In 2006 he presented a second full concert of all tamtam music (TAMTAM II) which featured new works by Jarvis, Jones, Ricks and himself as well as James Tenney's For Percussion Perhaps, Or…(night). Last year Dominic released "METALMORPHOSIS," the first CD of his "Music for Tamtams" project, on Capstone Records. Upcoming premieres include new works written for Dominic by composers Barbara White, Maxwell Dulaney, Xi Wang, and Seung-Ah Oh.
In 2007 Dr. Donato was selected by Meet the Composer as one of eight
"Soloist Champions" in honor of his continuing commitment to new music
and the solo percussion repertoire. Dr. Donato directs the Percussion
Department and Contemporary Ensemble at the Conservatory of Music,
Purchase College, SUNY.
For more information please visit: www.musicfortamtams.comThe link to the Purchase College website is: www.purchase.edu
Percussionist Tom Kolor specializes in 20th and 21st century music, and holds a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo.
Mr. Kolor appears throughout the United States and Europe as a member of Talujon Percussion, Manhattan Sinfonietta, Ensemble 21, Sospeso, American Modern Ensemble and Newband. In addition, he is a frequent guest of such ensembles as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York New Music Ensemble, Speculum Musicae, Continuum, Da Capo Chamber Players, Group for Contemporary Music, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
As a soloist, he has given dozens of premieres by such composers as Milton Babbitt, John Zorn, Wayne Peterson, Tania Leon, and Jerome Kitzke. He has recorded for Bridge, New World, Albany, Capstone, Innova, Wergo, Naxos, CRI, Koch, Tzadik, North/South Consonance, and Deutsche Grammophon labels.
For more information on the University at Buffalo visit: www.music.buffalo.edu
MICHAEL LIPSEY holds a BM from Queens College and an MM from Manhattan School of Music. He has performed with such prestigious ensembles such as the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Tan Dun, BBC Symphony, Zankel Band, Harry Partch Instrumentarium, Brooklyn Philharmonic and Bang on a Can and is a founding member of the Talujon Percussion Quartet. He has recorded for labels such as Sony Classical with the BBC Symphony, CRI Records, Albany Records, Mode Records and Nonesuch Records. He has performed in cities around the world including Berlin, Mexico City, Taipei, Tokyo, Moscow and on festivals for Bang on a Can, Chautauqua, Library of Congress and the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival.
He recently became a tenured Associate Professor at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College where he directs the Percussion and Contemporary Ensembles. Michael is very interested in creating new works for hand drums. He is currently working on a project to commission and premiere works in this medium.
Michael has received funding from the PSCUNY-36 Award for a solo CD that was released in 2006. The music on the CD contains recently commissioned works for solo hand drums and includes composers Jason Eckardt, River Guerguerian, Mathew Rosenblum, Arthur Kreiger, Eric Moe, Dominic Donato, David Cossin and David Rakowski. All the pieces from the cd are also published by Calabrese Brothers Publishing, LLC.
You can purchase the anthology at this website:
http://store.calabresebrothersmusic.com/08-00209.html
Visit Michael's website at: http://www.lipseypercussion.com
The Queens College percussion page is:
Matt Ward is dedicated to performing and commissioning new music and has been cited by the New York Times as “a fine soloist”. With a particular interest in chamber music, he is a principal player with the Argento Chamber Players, Talujon, and is also the co-founder of the percussion trio Timetable. Mr. Ward also performs regularly with groups such as the Manhattan Sinfonietta, the American Modern Ensemble, Associated Solo Artists, Albany Symphony and the Riverside Symphony. Mr. Ward was the recipient of the Ridley-Tree Fellowship at the Music Academy of the West in 1998, and in 1999 he participated in the Tanglewood Music Center under the direction of Seiji Ozawa and George Benjamin and returned the following year for the American Premiere of Pierre Boulez's Sur Incises at the 60th Anniversary TMC Alumni Concert. Recent projects include the American Premiere of Philippe Hurel's percussion concerto at Merkin Hall, and the premieres of two new works for percussion by Elizabeth Hoffman.
Matt Ward began studying conducting as the student director of the Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players and in residence at the Bang On a Can Summer Music Festival. Since then, he has premiered new works by Phillipe Manoury, Lawrence Moss, Ross Bauer, Meyer Kupferman, Barbara White, Sebastian Armoza and many other young composers. He is also a regular guest conductor with the International Contemporary Ensemble and Ensemble Inc.
Mr. Ward holds a BM degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a MM degree from SUNY Stony Brook, where he is currently a Candidate for his DMA. He is on faculty at Queens College and at the Bloomingdale School of Music where he directs the percussion ensemble and conducts student and faculty ensembles. Through organizations such as the 92nd Street Y, Westchester Philharmonic, and Marquis Studios Mr. Ward has worked with elementary school children throughout New York City and the surrounding area. He can be heard on the recording labels Argo, Newport Classics, Soundspell, and Albany Records.
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