About
THIRD COAST PERCUSSION
(Owen Clay Condon, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, David Skidmore)
Hailed by the Chicago Reader as “one of the finest new-music ensembles in the country,” Third Coast Percussion uses an impressive array of percussion instruments to create a performance experience like no other. With exceptional talent and dedicated artistry, this “sonically spectacular” (Chicago Tribune) quartet combines the driving intensity of drums, the beautiful warmth of marimbas and vibraphones, and the surprisingly exotic sounds of everyday objects to make music that is playful, memorable and profound. In performances around the country, the Chicago-based ensemble has swiftly gained national attention for effortlessly combining the energy of a rock concert with the precision and sophistication of classical chamber music.
Third Coast Percussion presents concerts for all audiences, from the percussion novice to the contemporary music aficionado. Third Coast has introduced percussion music to chamber music series in Chicago (Rush Hour Concerts, Millennium Park, Chicago Cultural Center), Virginia (Garth Newel Music Center), Pennsylvania (Dickinson College), and Wisconsin (Taliesin), securing immediate invitations to return to each of these series. TCP has also championed some of the most formidable repertoire for percussion including the music of Luciano Berio, Philippe Manoury, Wolfgang Rihm, Louis Andriessen, Martin Bresnick, George Crumb, Arvo Pärt, Steve Reich, Frederick Rzewski, Toru Takemitsu, Tan Dun, and Iannis Xenakis. The ensemble is constantly adding new works to this already expansive repertoire.
Upcoming and recent appearances include University of Notre Dame – DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Austin Chamber Music Festival, Music on the Edge (Pittsburgh), Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), Le Poisson Rouge (New York), Garth Newel Music Center (Virginia), Dusk Variations: Millennium Park – Pritzker Pavilion (Chicago), EMPAC (NY), Kennedy Center Millennium Stage (DC), and Taliesin – Frank Lloyd Wright (WI). Highlights of the 2012-13 season include a major focus on the percussion music of John Cage in celebration of his centenary, and the premiere of a new piece from composer Augusta Read Thomas.
Third Coast Percussion also self-presents a full season of concert percussion music each year in Chicago. The group performs 4 to 5 of these concerts each season, pairing the greatest concert percussion music with lesser-known and rarely performed master pieces. Past Chicago Concert Seasons have featured the premieres of new works by composers David T. Little, Matthew Barnson, Ted Hearne, Kirsten Broberg, and more plus guest appearances by Lisa Moore, Amy Briggs, and members of eighth blackbird.
The members of Third Coast Percussion—Owen Clayton Condon, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore—hold degrees in music performance from Northwestern University, the Yale School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and Rutgers University.
Third Coast Percussion performs exclusively with Pearl/Adams Musical Instruments, Zildjian Cymbals, Remo Drumheads, and Vic Firth sticks and mallets.
