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MGS Presents Michael Burritt, Percussion

Distinguished performer and truly one of his generation's leading percussionists, Michael Burritt is frequently in demand.  Having performed on four continents and more than forty states, Burritt currently serves as Professor of Percussion at the Eastman School of Music. He is only the third person in the history of the school to hold this position.  Mr. Burritt is also active as a composer and his works for solo marimba have become standard repertoire for the instrument.

Scroll down for the full program for April 21.  To read fun facts about the music and composers and a bit of what to expect, click here.

Click here for Michael's mini-interview.

This performance will feature the North Carolina Premiere of a work written for Michael by composer Joseph Schwantner.  Michael will be joined by NC university percussion professors Eric Willie (UNCG), Lamon Lawhorn (A&T), McKayla Phillips (Shaw University), and Isaac Pyatt (UNC Pembroke) as well as pianist Inãra Zandmane and Rebecca Marland on bass.

NC percussionist, piano, and bass

 

Michael Burritt, Percussion

Friday, April 21, 2023 - 7:30 pm
Van Dyke Performance Space

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Program

  • Scirocco (7 min) Michael Burritt b. 1962
  • Wildlings (6 min) Ivan Trevino b. 1983 Michael Burritt & Lamon Lawhorn
  • Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001 (5 min) J.S. Bach 1685-1750

    Adagio

  • Sweet Dreams and Time Machines (10 min) Michael Burritt b. 1962 Michael Burritt & Eric Willie

INTERMISSION

  • Fast Forward (22 min) Joseph Schwantner b. 1943 Michael Burritt - solo, Eric Willie, Issac Pyatt, Lamon Lawhorn, & McKayla Phillips - percussion quartet, Inara Zandmane - piano, Rebecca Marland - bass

    This performance is the North Carolina Premiere of this work.

Artist Bios

Having performed on four continents and more than forty states, Michael Burritt is one of his generation’s leading percussionists. He is in frequent demand, performing concert tours and master classes throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. Mr. Burritt has been soloist with the United States Air Force Band, Dallas Wind Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Nexus, Third Coast Percussion, Ju Percussion Group (Taiwan), Percussion Art Quartet (Germany) and the Amores Percussion Group (Spain). In 1992 he presented his New York solo debut in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall and in 1998 performed his London debut in the Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Mr. Burritt has three solo as well as numerous chamber recordings. He recorded his Home Trilogy with the world-renowned percussion group Nexus,  a recording of solo and chamber works by Alejandro Viñao with the Grammy Award-winning Third Coast Percussion and he recorded the Joseph Schwantner Percussion Concerto with the Calgary Wind Ensemble on the Albany label.

Mr. Burritt is also active as a composer, with three concertos to his credit as well as numerous solo and chamber works for marimba and percussion. His works for solo marimba have become standard repertoire for the instrument, and are frequently required repertoire on international competitions. Commissions include The World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart Germany, The Paris International Marimba Competition, Nexus and the Paris Percussion Group. Mr. Burritt is published with Keyboard Percussion Publications, C. Alan, Masters Music, and Innovative Percussion. Burritt is also an artist/clinician and product design/consultant for Malletech, where he has developed his own line of marimba mallets and the MJB Signature Marimba. He is an artist/educational clinician with the Zildjian Company, Evans Drum Heads, and Yamaha Drums.

Michael Burritt is currently Professor of Percussion and chair of the Winds, Brass, and Percussion department at the Eastman School of Music. He is only the third person in the history of the school to hold this position.

Lamon Lawhorn serves as Assistant Director of Bands at North Carolina A&T State University. He has performed with the L-O-U Symphony Orchestra, Corinth Symphony Orchestra, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and served as Artist in Residence at the FWISD Creative and Performing Arts Summer Music Camp. Lamon was appointed as the Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Percussion Studies at Virginia State University where he will begin instruction fall of 2023.

McKayla Phillips is a percussionist and educator based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. They currently serve as Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Shaw University. McKayla has been a guest clinician at universities, high schools, and conferences across the country, and has participated in numerous performances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.  McKayla is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) at UNC Greensboro, where they serve as a graduate teaching assistant. 

Isaac Pyatt is a percussionist and composer who specializes in contemporary chamber & solo music. Isaac serves as Artistic Director and Percussionist for the contemporary chamber ensemble Catchfire Collective and Adjunct Professor of Percussion at UNC Pembroke. Isaac was a prizewinner in the 2019 Great Plains International Marimba Competition, and winner in multiple statewide Percussive Arts Society competitions.  An active composer, his music is available through Tapspace Publications and APAKA Music. 

Eric Willie has presented solo performances throughout the United States, Russia, Brasil, and Colombia.  In 2022 he received a US Fulbright Scholar Award to perform and study in Recife, Brasil.  Eric has traveled to Brasil to perform multiple times and as soloist with the Tamborimba Ensamble in Cali, Colombia.  Currently, Eric serves as Professor of Percussion Studies at UNC Greensboro, where he directs a comprehensive percussion program.

Rebecca Marland is currently principal bassist of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, and regularly plays with regional ensembles such as the North Carolina Opera, Greensboro Opera, Winston-Salem Symphony, and many regional and university theatres. She lives in Greensboro with her husband, where they are happily outnumbered by their beloved rescue dogs and cats.

Ināra Zandmane is one of the leading collaborative pianists of NC. She has performed with such artists as Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Augustin Hadelich, Ray Chen, Sergei Antonov, Yura Lee, Martin Storey, Paul Coletti, Ian Clarke, and Branford Marsalis, in addition to regularly performing with Blue Mountain Ensemble.  She is the accompanist in residence for the South Eastern Piano Festival. Ināra is the staff accompanist at UNC Greensboro where she performs with students and faculty more than fifty different programs per year.

Program subject to change at the discretion of the artist(s).