The Dynamic Snare

One of the defining moments of my early musical education was the discovery of Stuart Saunders Smith’s compilation of solos for the snare drum, The Noble Snare. In my mind, it almost single-handedly validated the long-maligned snare drum as a bonified musical instrument. Here were solos, by highly reputable composers, written for nothing more than a solo snare drummer. And the solos were (are) fantastic! Notation, experimentation and extended techniques on the drum all took a gigantic leap forward with the publication of those four volumes. The Dynamic Snare humbly aims to continue that progression.

The more I obsessed over this publication, and as the final roster of composers was confirmed, I realized there was an opportunity to help separate The Dynamic Snare from The Noble Snare further than just the 30 years of time. Nearly every composer on my list was well-versed in electronic music, or tape in some form, and quite a few of them were highly skilled in the media. And so, The Dynamic Snare was opened to -and even encouraged the use of- a single ‘electronic element.’ The interpretation of that clause was left to the individual composer.

samples

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Composers

ANDY AKIHO - Composed 'Stop Speaking'. With commissions from many of the world's top orchestras, Akiho is one of the hottest rising stars of American composition. Recent engagements include commissioned premieres by the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and Carnegie Hall's Ensemble ACJW; a performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; and three concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Akiho has been recognized with awards including the 2014-15 Luciano Berio Rome Prize, the 2015 Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund, a 2014 Fromm Foundation Commission from Harvard University and more...

TIMO ANDRES - Notable works include Everything Happens So Much, commissioned and premiered by the Boston Symphony, led by Music Director Andris Nelsons; Strong Language, a string quartet for the Takács Quartet, commissioned by Carnegie Hall and the Shriver Hall Concert Series; Steady Hand, a two-piano concerto commissioned by the Britten Sinfonia and premiered at the Barbican Centre in London with Andres and pianist David Kaplan; and The Blind Banister, a piano concerto for Jonathan Biss. Co-commissioned by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra with Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, The Blind Banister was a 2016 Pulitzer Prize Finalist.

TED ATKATZ - Former Principal Percussionist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Edward (Ted) Atkatz has performed with the Atlanta Symphony, Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and the Santa Barbara Symphony. Now residing in Los Angeles, Ted is a studio musician as well as a performer in both the orchestral world and with his band, NYCO. His etudes book, Tributes, has quickly become a standard for concert snare drum study.

CASEY CANGELOSI - Composed 'White Knuckle Stroll,' and 'Tap Oratory'. Percussionist & Composer, Casey Cangelosi is the Director of Percussion Studies at James Madison University. As a visiting guest-artist, he is commonly hosted world-wide by educational institutions, music festivals, and educational music seminars. Since 2011, Casey has performed solo recitals in Italy, Germany, Costa Rica, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Croatia, Sweden, Taiwan, Portugal, and widely across the U.S. at events including: The Midwest Clinic, several PASIC Showcase Concerts, and over 40 universities.

MICHAEL EAGLE - A career educator, speaker, entrepreneur, and musician residing in New York City, Michael travels the globe performing in a wide variety of ensembles, instructing musical clinics, and developing educational products for the 21st century learner.

LARNELL LEWIS - Toronto native Larnell Lewis is a musician, composer, producer, educator and clinician. One of Canada’s most well-known and in-demand drummers, Lewis has garnered international status with his most recent works with the three-time Grammy Award winning band, Snarky Puppy. He is a part-time music professor at Humber College, has been featured on the cover of Modern Drummer (September 2016), and has performed with such artists as Fred Hammond, Lalah Hathaway, Lisa Fischer, and Laila Biali.

JOHN PSATHAS - Composed 'One Study One Summary'. From genre-crossing projects with jazz legends Michael Brecker and Joshua Redman, to an innovative e-book scoring collaboration with Salman Rushdie, from an unforgettable recording session with the Grand Mufti in Paris's Grand Mosque, to a Billboard classical-chart-topping album with System of a Down front man Serj Tankian, John's musical journey weaves through a myriad of genres, and has moved concert audiences in more than 50 countries on all 7 continents (yes, even Antarctica).

PAUL RENNICK - Since 1989 Paul has written and designed the competitive shows for the 17-time Percussive Arts Society National Champion University of North Texas Indoor Drumline. He is also percussion coordinator for the Nationally recognized UNT Green Brigade Marching Band. Paul served as the director of percussion for the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps from 2003-2010, winning the Drum Corps International Fred Sanford Award for Percussion Performance three times in five years (2006, 2008, 2010), and the DCI Championship in 2008. Paul is currently the percussion coordinator and arranger for the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps. He was recently inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame.

SHAUN TILBURG - Composed '4 Minute Psychosis' and 'Two Abstracts for Flute and Percussion.' Shaun has performed with the Chicago Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Houston Symphony, National Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and St. Louis Symphony. His compositions borrow heavily from a lifetime of obsessive Radiohead fanaticism and a strong rudimental drumming core. His book, The Regimen, has sold over 2000 copies and is used in 17 different countries.

JOSEPH TOMPKINS - Wrote 'Nine French-American Rudimental Solos'. .Joseph has performed with many of the top orchestras in the world, including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Atlanta Symphony, and the New York City Ballet Orchestra. He has performed in twenty-one Broadway productions and a number of major film soundtracks. His works for percussion, particularly snare drum, have been performed around the world, and he has presented masterclasses across Europe and the United States.