But We Have X Instead of Y

Program Notes

My friend, Del Cook, wrote a piece called 'We need B not A', which was his response to what he called 'the industrialization of the percussion repertoire' and used the same instrumentation as my piece, but with different and more militaristic rhythms. My response is a response to his response (notice a pattern?). 'But We Have X instead of Y' aims to show the wealth of ideas we have in percussion repertoire all around the world, and I incorporate inspirations from music all over the world, whether it be African rhythms, the hypnotic sounds of Steve Reich or the primitive sounds from Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring'.

Subsequent performances:

• University of North Florida Percussion Ensemble; Dr. Andrea Venet, director - October 23, 2020
• Midwestern State University Percussion Ensemble; Corey Robinson, director - April 13, 2021
• Rutgers University Percussion Ensemble; Joseph Tompkins, director - April 18, 2021
• University of Texas Permian Basin Percussion Ensemble; Tim Feerst, director - November 15, 2021
• Fullerton College Percussion Ensemble; Dustin Donahue, director - November 22, 2021
• San Francisco Conservatory Percussion Ensemble; Jacob Nissly, director - December 1, 2021
• Penn State Percussion Ensemble; Dr. Lee Hinkle, director - December 2, 2021
• Washington State Percussion Ensemble; Dr. Chris Wilson, director - October 25, 2022
• Ohio State University Percussion Ensemble; Susan Powell, director - November 7, 2022
• Temple University Percussion Ensemble; Phillip O’Banion, director - November 7, 2022
• Shenandoah Conservatory Percussion Ensemble; Dr. Karlyn Viña, director - November 30, 2022
• Jacksonville University Percussion Ensemble - February 3, 2023
• University of Minnesota Duluth Percussion Ensemble; Dr. Henry Eichman, director - April 5, 2023
• University of Northern Colorado Percussion Ensemble; Tim Feerst, director - October 30, 2023
• Austin Community College Percussion Ensemble; Dr. Jordan Walsh, director - November 18, 2023
• Oregon State University Percussion Ensemble; Dr. Robert Brudvig & Justin Preece, directors - March 8/April 7, 2024