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| Thousands of Percussionists to Gather in Indy The Percussive Arts Society International Convention will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana from November 11 – 14, 2009. For the second time in the event's history, Indianapolis will play host to more than 6, 000 drummers and percussionists from around the world at the Indiana Convention Center and Westin Hotel. PASIC is the world's largest and most prestigious drum and percussion gathering that features more than 130 events on 11 stages with the leading artists from around the world in the percussion community. Session topics span a variety of areas including drumset, symphonic, marching, recreational, world and keyboard percussion. "The Percussive Arts Society and the City of Indianapolis are very excited to bring the Percussive Arts Society International Convention back to Indianapolis. The convention was last held in Indy in 1981, exactly 28 years ago to the date, " states PASIC Director Jeff Hartsough. "The week will be full of exciting events and sessions for both the members of the Percussive Arts Society and the public." The convention's International Drum and Percussion Expo will highlight industry exhibitors showcasing the latest in drum and percussion instruments, publications and services. The Expo will be open to convention attendees November 12 - 14 and available to the public for a daily fee of $15; children under 12 are admitted free. Grateful Dead Drummer Mickey Hart will be inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame and will sign autographs at Rhythm! Discovery Center from 12:00pm –1:00pm on Friday, November 13; free admission will be given Friday from 11:00am – 1:00pm. The annual PAS Marching Percussion Festival will take place on November 12 and 13. The festival features a competition of high school and collegiate individuals, ensembles, and drum lines vying for top honors in this nationally recognized contest. Scheduling changes and the addition of new competitive and non-competitive categories makes this year's festival more accessible to marching programs. Tickets for the Marching Percussion Festival are available to the general public for $15 and includes access to the International Drum and Percussion Expo; children 12 and under are admitted free. Evening showcase concerts include a variety of performances and styles of music. Wednesday evening features Filipino trip-hop duo Electric Kulintang (Susie Ibarra and Roberto Rodriguez), keyboard master Julie Spencer and percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson. Thursday evening brings Taiwanese percussion ensemble Ju Percussion Group to the stage. Spain's powerful percussion ensemble Amores Grup de Percussio' will perform on Friday evening, and Tommy Igoe and the Birdland Big Band featuring guest percussionist Rolando Morales-Matos will close the convention on Saturday evening. Drumset artists include legendary jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette, Virgil Donati (Planet X), Benny Greb (Benny Greb Brassband), Chris Pennie (Coheed and Cambria), Akira Jimbo (master Japanese clinician), Felix Pollard (Taylor Hicks), Sergio Bellotti (WeJazzUp!), Zoro (Lenny Kravitz) and Daniel Glass (Royal Crown Revue), Tobias Ralph (Duncan Sheik), Joel Stevenett (Sony Playstation, XBOX, Nintendo Wii), Ed Shaughnessy ("Tonight Show" band), and Curt Bisquera. Marching percussion session highlights include Sandi Rennick with the Phantom Regiment Front Ensemble and Lalo and Julie Davila with the Middle Tennessee State University Drum Line. Keyboard artists include rising Chinese-Canadian marimba artist Pius Cheung, recognized marimba artists and composers Eric Sammut, Christopher Deane and Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic, and a new marimba music session led by Nancy Zeltsman. Symphonic session highlights include Cynthia Yeh (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Marc Damoulakis (Cleveland Symphony Orchestra), Christopher Deviney (Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra), Lee Vinson (Boston Symphony Orchestra), and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra percussion section. World presentations will be given by Abbos Kosimov (Uzbekistan), Victor Rendуn (Mexican-American), Rajna Swaminathan (South India), I Ketut Gede Asnawa (Bali, Indonesia) leading the University of Illinois Gamelan Ensemble and Layne Redmond (Brazil). All artists mentioned have confirmed their appearance at PASIC 2009; however, artists are subject to change without notice. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |