“BLENDING TRADITIONS” A program of contemporary music that combines elements of Western and non-Western Music
3.24.13 Penn State University 2:30pm/7:30pm
3.26.13 Capital University 8:00pm
3.27.13 University of Dayton 10:00am/1:00pm/2:00pm
3.29.13 Ohio University 11:50am/7:30pm
4.1.13 Youngstown State University 4:00pm/8:00pm
4.2.13 University of Akron 1:00pm/8:00pm
1 April 2013, Bliss Recital Hall, 8PM
PROGRAM
Impressions of Chinese Opera (2012) Gene Koshinski (b. 1980)
I. Chang he Zuo
II. Nian
III. Da
Piru Bole (1974) John Bergamo (b. 1940)
~pause~
And So the Wind Blew…(2009) Gene Koshinski
Song and Dance (2009)
I. Song of the Metals
II. Dance of the Drums
*The second half of the program is performed continuously without a break.
Benjamin Toth
Benjamin Toth, Professor of Percussion at
The Hartt School, University of Hartford,
has presented concerts, radio and
television broadcasts, master classes, and
children’s programs throughout Europe
and the United States, as well as in Brazil, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan,
and Trinidad. His performances have been described as “tour de force”
(Gramophone), “riveting” (New York Times), “absolutely precise”
(Marburger Neue Zeitung), “hugely virtuosic” (BBC magazine), “aweinspiring”
(Saginaw News), and “breathtaking” (Cleveland Plain
Dealer). Toth’s varied musical interests are reflected in his
performance credits, highlights of which include: Percussion Group
Cincinnati, Nebojsa Zivkovic’s Jovan Percussion Projekt, Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Goodspeed Opera
House, Hartford Stage, Bushnell Theater, and the Jimmy Dorsey Band.
His performance venues, spanning five continents, have included
Ravinia, the Walker Arts Center, Carnegie Recital Hall, Hong Kong
Cultural Centre, Dagbe Arts Centre (Ghana), the Encontro Internacional
de Percussao (Brazil), International Percussion Workshop (Poland),
Festival Bicich Nastroju (Czech Republic), June in Buffalo festival
(with Steve Reich), Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (Germany),
Glasbeni Maj v Pomurju festival (Slovenia), Nomus Music Festivities
(Serbia), the Lithuanian National Philharmonic concert series, the
College Band Directors National Association national convention,
Percussive Arts Society International Conventions (eleven appearances,
including collaborations with Herbert Brun and John Cage), and the
2000 Panorama (Trinidad National Steel Band Competition). He has
recorded for the Albany, Arabesque, Bis, Centaur, Equilibrium, GIA,
Hartt, Innova, Musica Europea, Naxos, TNC and Yesa labels, having
appeared on twenty recordings. He is sponsored by Yamaha, Zildjian,
and Innovative Percussion.
Gene Koshinski
Percussionist and composer Dr. Gene
Koshinski, Assistant Professor of Percussion
at the University of Minnesota Duluth, has
delighted audiences worldwide with his
dynamic performances and creative programming. In demand as a solo
and chamber musician, he has performed in Austria, Belgium, China,
France, Germany, Jordan, Slovenia, Canada, and throughout the United
States. In 2002, Koshinski won the National MTNA Percussion
Competition in Cincinnati, OH and in 2004, finished 3rd in the
prestigious Universal Marimba Duo Competition in Sint-Truiden,
Belgium. As a composer, Koshinski was named the recipient of the
2012 ASCAP Foundation Nissim Prize for best new score for large
ensemble for his work Concerto for Marimba and Choir. Koshinski has
worked with many notable performing organizations and artists
including NFL Films, Late Show with David Letterman, Mary Wilson
(the Supremes), David Samuels, Wycliffe Gordon, Philadelphia Boys
Choir, The Lettermen, Hartford Symphony, Minnesota Ballet, and is
currently section percussionist for the Duluth Superior Symphony
Orchestra and a member of Nebojsa Zivkovic’s Jovan Perkussion
Projekt. Performances have also been heard on the CBS, PBS, and
EPSN television networks as well as NPR. For his work with NFL
Films, he can be heard on the Emmy award-winning soundtrack A
Century of NFL. In addition, he has recorded for the Naxos, Innova,
MSR Classics, and Equilibrium record labels. His method book, solo
albums, and over 20 published compositions are distributed
internationally, with many of his compositions receiving frequent global
performances. He is sponsored by Korogi, Innovative Percussion,
Sabian Cymbals, and Remo.
www.genekoshinski.com