The PASIC 2026 session led by Vadim Karpinos focuses on bridging technical precision and musical artistry in percussion performance. The program features a new piece by Joseph Tompkins, “Waltz for Karpinos,” emphasizing coordination and rudimental styles, and explores tambourine and xylophone techniques through both solo and orchestral excerpts. A highlight is the last movement of Timothy Corpus’s “Great Lakes” concerto, showcasing a vintage four-row xylophone—an instrument connected to Karpinos’s Ukrainian heritage and an ancestor to the modern xylophone. The session aims to demonstrate how technical skill supports expressive playing across diverse repertoires.

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My PASIC 2026 session will be a wonderful opportunity to step back and reflect on the artistry that binds us together as musicians. Whether navigating a hyper-exposed orchestral excerpt or unleashing the energy of a solo work, our mission remains the same: transforming physical precision into beautiful music. My goal is to bridge these two worlds and demonstrate how our technical approach equips us to tackle virtuosic solos and the high demands of orchestral performance with equal confidence. 

We will explore both aspects through a varied program; beginning with a new piece by Joseph Tompkins, “Waltz for Karpinos.” Joe’s piece demands an incredible level of coordination, touch, and a specific combination of rudimental styles. We’ll connect those mechanics to extended tambourine technique and transition to classic excerpts such as Dvorak’s “Carnival” overture, the “Hary Janos Suite,” and “Porgy and Bess” on xylophone. We will explore tambourine and xylophone technique, examining how to connect both with physical adaptations and micro adjustments needed for small and large-scale works.

  A highlight of the class will be exploring the last movement of “Great Lakes” concerto by Timothy Corpus. It was commissioned for Ed Harrison and me and recently premiered by the Chicago Symphony under the direction of Marin Alsop. The composer will be in attendance. The work will feature a four-row xylophone used during the cadenza, which I will play at the session. Integrating this vintage instrument from my childhood growing up in the Ukraine is a full-circle moment for me as well as bridging the gap for this instrument into a full-scale orchestral work. 

The four-row xylophone or Strohfiddle (strawfiddle, because the keys are laid on straw)or Hülzern Glachter (wooden laughter because of the light nature of the music that was played on the instrument) is the forerunner of the standard xylophone we play today. It was popularized by Josef Gusikov, who toured Paris and Berlin in the early 1800s and was praised for his musicianship and virtuosity by Liszt, Chopin, and Mendellssohn.