Percussion Institute with Aiyun Huang

Are you interested in expanding out of playing rudiments and orchestral excerpts? Do you want to get into theater and understand how to use gesture and body as an extension of musical expression?

Join new music specialist Aiyun Huang for two weeks of intense study of solo contemporary percussion literature and chamber music making. All levels of contemporary music experience welcome. The specifics of the course will be designed around the individual abilities represented but the goal of the institute is to expose each participant to the diversity of contemporary percussion repertoire across all levels and to engage in discourse on performance techniques and practices as well as addressing issues about the mechanics and execution of extended technique production through master classes and private lessons.

The Percussion Institute will focus on the music of living composers, in addition to several premieres of festival commissions for percussion quartet. Participants may also suggest repertoire for the studio to work on together.

Advanced percussionists (familiar with contemporary technique): Focus will be on performance practice and issues of music already prepared as well as exploration of the most challenging of repertoire with score study, performance classes and lessons culminating in a studio recital.

Beginner percussionists ( = new to contemporary technique): Focus will be on group classes to familiarize the participant with the execution of most extended techniques as well as to introduce repertoire that employs these techniques and discourse on the learning process and performance practice. These participants can perform in the studio recital if they wish.

In addition to the solo work, participants will join in the rehearsing and performance of new works for chamber ensembles, discovering first hand what it is like to work with a composer to bring a new work to light, lending their experience to the piece and the composer.

Please feel free to contact Aiyun with repertoire questions and ideas.