The UMD Percussion Ensemble featuring percussion students Robby Bowen (BM), Paul Keesling (MM), and Eric Plewinski traveled with Dr. Lee Hinkle by invitation to perform at the McCormick Marimba Festival in Tampa, FL at the University of South Florida February 8-9. The students were each featured as soloists at the event and the group performed an hour length concert of marimba music including movements from Elliot Cole’s Posludes for Bowed Vibraphone, Takemitsu’s Rain Tree, and Villa-Lobos’s String Quartet No. 3. I performed Stuart Saunders Smith’s marimba opera The Authors on a special concert with the composer present and premiered a composition by Zachary Konick (BM Composition and Percussion) entitled Weaving for solo marimba.
I had a chance to stick my head into the Springs Theatre too while I was in town. It was great to see the space and John Stephan again. It’s been years since I’ve been to the Springs, but it is by far my favorite recording studio and a very cool space.
