Boom! International Festival of Percussion presents
I Am Nature - World Premiere
Concert
Australia's premiere new music ensemble, Synergy Percussion, and internationally acclaimed musician, J.B. Smith, come together to present a new work by American composer, Daniel Lentz, based on his 2019 solo piano work, I Am Nature.
An homage to Jackson Pollock, this work utilises innovative technology to generate dense layers of material organically derived from the performers.
Lentz has used live multi-track recordings in many of his pieces dating back to the 1960s, but the new arrangement adds acoustic and dramatic power to the process.
If you have access needs, please call the Box Office on 02 9061 5344 to book tickets.
Dr. J. B. Smith is Emeritus Professor of Music in the School of Music at Arizona State University, where he was the Coordinator of Percussion Studies. He is internationally recognised as a performer, composer, educator, and conductor.
He was director of the ASU Contemporary Percussion Ensemble that was featured in performances at the 1991, 2002, and 2006 Percussive Arts Society International Conventions. As a member of the Desert's Edge Clarinet-Percussion Duo with Dr. Robert Spring, Dr. Smith performed at the Music Educator's National Conference in 1994, and at the 1992, 1995, 2002, 2004, and 2013 Clarinet Fest International Conferences.
He served as principal percussionist with Ensemble 21, a contemporary music group under the direction of Arthur Weisberg, and as principal percussionist with The Daniel Lentz Group, which performed at the Interlink Festival in Los Angeles, the Bang on a Can Festival in New York, and the Festival Musica Visual in Lanzarote, Canary Islands.
He has also recorded and performed with the internationally acclaimed Summit Brass and Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded for Koch, Summit, Centaur, Rhizome Sketch, Fontec, Leo, Canyon Records, and Whole>Sum Productions. His CDs, Apparitions for Percussion, First Reflections, and At the Desert's Edge, are available from jbsmithmusic.com. His EPs, Percussion Solo 2011 and LIVE Chamber Music, are available from Trésona Multimedia.
He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baylor University where he studied with Dr. Larry Vanlandingham, his Master of Music in Percussion Performance and Literature degree from the University of Illinois where he studied with Prof. Thomas Siwe, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas where he studied with Dr. Robert Schietroma.
Previously, Dr. Smith was on the music faculties of Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, and Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. He has written articles for The Instrumentalist, The Canadian Band Journal, and Percussive Notes, and served as president of the Arizona chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. In 1995, he hosted the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Phoenix.
Dr. Smith is active as a composer, with numerous works published by C. Alan Publications and jbsmithmusic.com. He has also written computer programs to help students improve their sightreading and rhythm skills (First Flash and Flash Tracker are available through jbsmithmusic.com) and software to allow percussionists to easily interact with digital media.
As a clinician, he has appeared at the Music Educator's National Conference, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and at over 100 colleges and universities in North America, Asia, and Europe. Dr. Smith proudly endorses Pearl Drums, Adams Percussion, Zildjian Cymbals, Remo Inc, Mike Balter Mallets, and Grover Pro Percussion.
Synergy Percussion has the dual distinction of being Australia’s oldest and foremost contemporary music ensemble.
A world of sound with percussion at its heart, the group celebrated 40 years of concerts, collaborations, recordings, and commissions in 2014.
Over four decades of huge cultural change, Synergy Percussion has remained vital and fiercely committed to defying expectations of what percussion music might aptly express.
Core members Timothy Constable, Bree van Reyk, and Joshua Hill are all award-winning and internationally acclaimed exponents of new music in their own right, equally at home on world-music stages and in contemporary/ experimental art venues, pop concerts, and recital halls.
The ensembles’ expansive vision of percussion, together with the exceptionally wide musical experience of the members past and present, has allowed the group to work together with a diverse and exemplary family of artists from around the world.
Collaborators include Fritz Hauser, Hossam Ramzy, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Aly N’Diaye Rose, Trilok Gurtu, Jose Vicente, Kazue Sawai, Dave Samuels, Evelyn Glennie, Riley Lee, Taikoz, Michael Kieran Harvey, Sydney Dance Company, Meryl Tankard and Regis Lansac, Akira Isogawa, Grainger String Quartet, William Barton, and the Leigh Warren Dancers, plus the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, among many others.
Well over 50 commissions of Australian and international composers have helped create an Australian percussion sonic identity, and contributed to the canon more generally.
Notable commissions include Steve Reich’s Mallet Quartet (2009, the most significant percussion work of the composer post drumming of 1971), Anthony Pateras’s Beauty Will Be Amnesiac Or Will Not Be At All (2013, the most ambitious Australian concert work for percussion), Nigel Westlake’s Omphalo Centric Lecture (1984, statistically the most performed classical percussion ensemble piece in the world), Ross Edwardes’ Prelude and Dragonfly Dance, Peter Sculthorpe’s Sun Song, Djilile, and Gerard Brophy’s Book of Clouds.
The group also commissions internally, and works by ensemble members have been performed internationally to high acclaim.
Synergy Percussion has a proven track record of successfully creating and executing education and outreach programs aimed at encouraging young people from all walks of life to engage with music.
The group has contributed to the education programs at all major tertiary music institutions across the country, including supervising the post-graduate percussion program at the Australian National University.
The ensemble has enjoyed a long-standing collaboration with Musica Viva to deliver such programs to students across Australia, the most recent being the highly successful Under Construction with composer, Damian Barbeler.
Members of the group also mentor young musicians through the Sydney Youth Orchestra’s percussion program and through the young artist in residence program.
Presenting Artists J.B. Smith and Synergy Percussion
We are a registered COVID-Safe business with measures in place to make your next Seymour visit safe and enjoyable. You can find out more about our safety measures here, and we will also send safety information directly to you prior to your visit. To ensure we can reach you, we recommend checking that your contact information is up to date.
Everest Theatre
| Mon 3 Oct | 7:30pm |
|---|
60 minutes (no interval). Partial lockout applies.
| Adult | $30 |
|---|---|
| Concession (Pensioner, Health Care Card Holder, MEAA Member, Unemployed)* | $25 |
| Full-time Student | $20 |
$6 transaction fee applies.
*ID required during ticket purchase for verification purposes. Read more.
If booking with a Parents NSW voucher, please note multiple vouchers can be used per transaction, up to a total transaction amount of $250. Vouchers only redeemable when booking online. Read more.
I Am Nature is available to purchase as part of a Boom! Seymour Sessions Day Pass, alongside various other 3 Oct events. Buy a Seymour Sessions Day Pass to access all applicable events for a total price of just $45 (adult price), $35 (concession price), or $25 (student price).
I Am Nature is also available to purchase as part of a Boom! Festival Pass. Buy a Festival Pass to access all seven days of Boom! events at Seymour Centre and Sydney Town Hall, excluding participant access to workshops, for a total price of just $350 (adult price), $300 (concession price), or $250 (full-time student price).
Recommended for ages 12+. Contains dynamic music. Photography and filming prohibited.
The only authorised ticket seller for this event is Seymour Centre. If you purchase from an unauthorised seller, you risk that your tickets may be fake or invalid.
Program details for this event are subject to change. If any changes are made, this page will be updated accordingly. Please check back for the latest information before your event.
Dr. J. B. Smith is Emeritus Professor of Music in the School of Music at Arizona State University, where he was the Coordinator of Percussion Studies. He is internationally recognised as a performer, composer, educator, and conductor.
He was director of the ASU Contemporary Percussion Ensemble that was featured in performances at the 1991, 2002, and 2006 Percussive Arts Society International Conventions. As a member of the Desert's Edge Clarinet-Percussion Duo with Dr. Robert Spring, Dr. Smith performed at the Music Educator's National Conference in 1994, and at the 1992, 1995, 2002, 2004, and 2013 Clarinet Fest International Conferences.
He served as principal percussionist with Ensemble 21, a contemporary music group under the direction of Arthur Weisberg, and as principal percussionist with The Daniel Lentz Group, which performed at the Interlink Festival in Los Angeles, the Bang on a Can Festival in New York, and the Festival Musica Visual in Lanzarote, Canary Islands.
He has also recorded and performed with the internationally acclaimed Summit Brass and Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded for Koch, Summit, Centaur, Rhizome Sketch, Fontec, Leo, Canyon Records, and Whole>Sum Productions. His CDs, Apparitions for Percussion, First Reflections, and At the Desert's Edge, are available from jbsmithmusic.com. His EPs, Percussion Solo 2011 and LIVE Chamber Music, are available from Trésona Multimedia.
He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baylor University where he studied with Dr. Larry Vanlandingham, his Master of Music in Percussion Performance and Literature degree from the University of Illinois where he studied with Prof. Thomas Siwe, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas where he studied with Dr. Robert Schietroma.
Previously, Dr. Smith was on the music faculties of Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, and Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. He has written articles for The Instrumentalist, The Canadian Band Journal, and Percussive Notes, and served as president of the Arizona chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. In 1995, he hosted the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Phoenix.
Dr. Smith is active as a composer, with numerous works published by C. Alan Publications and jbsmithmusic.com. He has also written computer programs to help students improve their sightreading and rhythm skills (First Flash and Flash Tracker are available through jbsmithmusic.com) and software to allow percussionists to easily interact with digital media.
As a clinician, he has appeared at the Music Educator's National Conference, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and at over 100 colleges and universities in North America, Asia, and Europe. Dr. Smith proudly endorses Pearl Drums, Adams Percussion, Zildjian Cymbals, Remo Inc, Mike Balter Mallets, and Grover Pro Percussion.
Synergy Percussion has the dual distinction of being Australia’s oldest and foremost contemporary music ensemble.
A world of sound with percussion at its heart, the group celebrated 40 years of concerts, collaborations, recordings, and commissions in 2014.
Over four decades of huge cultural change, Synergy Percussion has remained vital and fiercely committed to defying expectations of what percussion music might aptly express.
Core members Timothy Constable, Bree van Reyk, and Joshua Hill are all award-winning and internationally acclaimed exponents of new music in their own right, equally at home on world-music stages and in contemporary/ experimental art venues, pop concerts, and recital halls.
The ensembles’ expansive vision of percussion, together with the exceptionally wide musical experience of the members past and present, has allowed the group to work together with a diverse and exemplary family of artists from around the world.
Collaborators include Fritz Hauser, Hossam Ramzy, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Aly N’Diaye Rose, Trilok Gurtu, Jose Vicente, Kazue Sawai, Dave Samuels, Evelyn Glennie, Riley Lee, Taikoz, Michael Kieran Harvey, Sydney Dance Company, Meryl Tankard and Regis Lansac, Akira Isogawa, Grainger String Quartet, William Barton, and the Leigh Warren Dancers, plus the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, among many others.
Well over 50 commissions of Australian and international composers have helped create an Australian percussion sonic identity, and contributed to the canon more generally.
Notable commissions include Steve Reich’s Mallet Quartet (2009, the most significant percussion work of the composer post drumming of 1971), Anthony Pateras’s Beauty Will Be Amnesiac Or Will Not Be At All (2013, the most ambitious Australian concert work for percussion), Nigel Westlake’s Omphalo Centric Lecture (1984, statistically the most performed classical percussion ensemble piece in the world), Ross Edwardes’ Prelude and Dragonfly Dance, Peter Sculthorpe’s Sun Song, Djilile, and Gerard Brophy’s Book of Clouds.
The group also commissions internally, and works by ensemble members have been performed internationally to high acclaim.
Synergy Percussion has a proven track record of successfully creating and executing education and outreach programs aimed at encouraging young people from all walks of life to engage with music.
The group has contributed to the education programs at all major tertiary music institutions across the country, including supervising the post-graduate percussion program at the Australian National University.
The ensemble has enjoyed a long-standing collaboration with Musica Viva to deliver such programs to students across Australia, the most recent being the highly successful Under Construction with composer, Damian Barbeler.
Members of the group also mentor young musicians through the Sydney Youth Orchestra’s percussion program and through the young artist in residence program.
Everest Theatre
| Mon 3 Oct | 7:30pm |
|---|
60 minutes (no interval). Partial lockout applies.
| Adult | $30 |
|---|---|
| Concession (Pensioner, Health Care Card Holder, MEAA Member, Unemployed)* | $25 |
| Full-time Student | $20 |
$6 transaction fee applies.
*ID required during ticket purchase for verification purposes. Read more.
If booking with a Parents NSW voucher, please note multiple vouchers can be used per transaction, up to a total transaction amount of $250. Vouchers only redeemable when booking online. Read more.
I Am Nature is available to purchase as part of a Boom! Seymour Sessions Day Pass, alongside various other 3 Oct events. Buy a Seymour Sessions Day Pass to access all applicable events for a total price of just $45 (adult price), $35 (concession price), or $25 (student price).
I Am Nature is also available to purchase as part of a Boom! Festival Pass. Buy a Festival Pass to access all seven days of Boom! events at Seymour Centre and Sydney Town Hall, excluding participant access to workshops, for a total price of just $350 (adult price), $300 (concession price), or $250 (full-time student price).
Recommended for ages 12+. Contains dynamic music. Photography and filming prohibited.
The only authorised ticket seller for this event is Seymour Centre. If you purchase from an unauthorised seller, you risk that your tickets may be fake or invalid.
Presenting Artists J.B. Smith and Synergy Percussion
We are a registered COVID-Safe business with measures in place to make your next Seymour visit safe and enjoyable. You can find out more about our safety measures here, and we will also send safety information directly to you prior to your visit. To ensure we can reach you, we recommend checking that your contact information is up to date.
Program details for this event are subject to change. If any changes are made, this page will be updated accordingly. Please check back for the latest information before your event.
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