Hall of Fame 2019

by Lauren Vogel Weiss Timpanist of the New York City Opera. Timpanist of the American Symphony Orchestra. Timpanist of the San Francisco Symphony.  Timpanist of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Any of these positions would look impressive on a percussionist’s resume. But what if, in a field traditionally dominated by men of European-American origin, the…

by Rick Mattingly Jacksonville Symphony percussionist Kevin J. Garry recalls his first concert at Oberlin Conservatory of Music: “While playing glockenspiel on a wind ensemble piece by Joseph Schwantner, my hands had shaken so badly that the colored label tape on my mallets looked like a solid band of color. I left the concert extremely…

by Lauren Vogel Weiss When one thinks of a marching drumline, sounds of booming bass drums and staccato snare drums come to mind. But in the 1980s, one drum corps instructor reimagined the sounds that could be created on a field—from soft scrapes on cymbals and gongs to symphonic-based percussion instruments. That creative, but unorthodox,…

by Rick Mattingly Upon entering Le Conte Junior High School in Los Angeles, Frank Epstein applied to the school orchestra—but not as a percussionist. He wished to be a pianist. “Since there were five of us pianists, it was suggested that three of us play percussion,” Epstein recalls. “The conductor—who was an oboist—stuck a pair…