Eastman Percussion Department
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Video
J. S. Bach - Adagio from the G minor Sonata for Violin
(transcribed by Burritt)
Michael Burritt - marimba
Minoru Miki - Marimba Spiritual, excerpt
Michael Burritt - marimba
Sean Connors, Annie Stevens and Matthew Witten, percussion
Bill Cahn with Nexus 1996
History
The Eastman Percussion Department has a long and prestigious legacy dating back to the 1920’s. Michael Burritt is only the third professor in the history of the school and his predecessors include legendary percussionists and Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame members John Beck (1962 – 2008) and William Street (1927 – 1967). Eastman has graduated some of the most successful and influential percussionists in the history of the instrument. Names such as Alan Abel, John Beck, Bob Becker, Michael Burritt, Patsy Dash, Bill Cahn, Steve Gadd, Fred Hinger, Chris Lamb, Stanley Leonard, Dave Mancini, Duncan Patton, Mitchell Peters, Gordon Peters, Gordon Stout, Leigh Howard Stevens, and John Wyer represent percussion leaders in virtually every aspect of the field.
About the Percussion Studio
Percussion studies at the Eastman School of Music provide students a program of study in orchestral, solo, chamber, world and jazz idioms. Students work with world-class artists in both private and master class settings creating an unparalled experience in percussion training.
The Eastman Percussion Studio averages 22 members consisting of 16 undergraduates and 6 graduate students. The graduate class is a mixture of Master’s and Doctoral students. Graduate students are all involved as teaching assistants and their assignments include coaching and conducting percussion ensemble, teaching the Percussion Methods Class, performing in the graduate chamber orchestra and teaching non-major lessons.
Faculty
Percussion students study primarily with Professor Michael Burritt (Internationally recognized percussion soloist and chamber musician, recording artist and composer). Students are also provided the opportunity to have lessons with our distinguished adjunct percussion faculty, consisting of Bill Cahn (Nexus Percussion Ensemble and former Principal Percussion with the Rochester Philharmonic), Charles Ross (Timpanist with the Rochester Philharmonic), and Rich Thompson, (Drum Set faculty for the Eastman Jazz Department and former drummer with the Count Basie Band). This extraordinary group of artist-teachers provides the Eastman students with one of the most prestigious and diverse percussion faculties in the world.
Large Ensemble Experience
The percussion students all participate in the school’s outstanding ensembles. There are 2 orchestras (Philharmonia and the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra), 2 wind ensembles (The Eastman Wind Ensemble and Wind Orchestra) and Musica Nova (New Music Ensemble). Placement in the ensembles is determined through a screened orchestral audition process given twice a year (Fall and Spring Semesters).
Percussion Ensemble
The Eastman Percussion Ensemble, directed by Michael Burritt, is an integral part of the curriculum and presents 5 on-campus performances as well as several off-campus concerts each year. The chamber percussion experience is essential to the percussionists’ training and allows the students to experience repertoire from the contemporary genres to that of world music and improvisation. This coming November, the ensemble will perform at the Paris International Percussion Festival in France. Guest artists with the ensemble include Steve Schick the internationally respected solo percussionist and author and Anders Åstrand the well-known Swedish vibraphone virtuoso and composer. This past April the Argentinean composer Alejandro Viñao was in residence to work with the students in presenting a concert of his works for solo and chamber percussion.
Classes in Percussion
Students attend a weekly studio class where they perform in solo settings and experience lectures on topics such as practicing, interpretation, excerpts and more. Michael Burritt teaches Percussion Pedagogy Class and Percussion Literature Class in alternating years and John Beck, Professor Emeritus, teaches a History of Percussion Class in the fall semester.