Last week I attended the Ted Atkatz Percussion Seminar.
It took place in Long Beach California at the CSULB Conservatory of music facilities.
Overall it was a great week-long seminar covering a wide variety of musical styles, instruments, and approaches. We had master classes, performances, and private lessons.
Each participant received two private lessons from the faculty members and we were all able to participate in percussion ensemble rehearsals, with a public performance at the end of the week.
Additionally, we had two mock auditions, one for high school level students, and one for college students, with the winners receiving prizes from our sponsoring companies.
Overall this was a great opportunity to get to know the faculty which was composed of some of the greatest performers at the top of their career.
Ted Atkatz
Former Principal Percussionist/ Assistant Timpanist, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Department Chair, Lynn Conservatory of Music
Director of Percussion Studies, California State University at Long Beach.
– Ted Gave a great talk on Musicianship and getting ready for auditions.
Casey Cangelosi
Percussionist, Composer
– Casey performed a few pieces for the students, among them was Temascal, a great example of performance. He also performed his piece “The Big Audition”.
Dr. Timothy Jones
Percussion Faculty, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
– I was amazed by Dr. Jones 6 mallet playing.
Nick Mancini
Vibraphonist / Composer
Percussion Faculty, California State University at Long Beach
Jazz Faculty, California State University at Northridge
– Nick gave a great talk on a bit of theory and how to let go of it when it comes to performance.
George Nickson
Principal Percussionist, Sarasota Orchestra
– George was very inspiring by his marimba performance and what he does in order to get ready for a big performance like a concerto for example.
Rob Slack
Principal Percussionist, Pacific Symphony Orchestra
Percussion Faculty, California State University at Fullerton
– Rob brought in some music to show a real scenario of what it’s like to perform in a pops setting and the crazy logistical things we have to worry about when it comes to these kind of performances.
Matthew Strauss
Percussionist, Houston Symphony
Percussion Faculty, University of Miami, Frost School of Music
Rice University, Shepherd School of Music
– Mr. Strauss talked very extensively about timpani playing and ear training.
Shaun Tilburg
Principal Percussionist, Phoenix Symphony
Percussion Faculty, Arizona State University.
– Mr. Tilburg gave a great talk on his view and experience from the marching world into the concert approach and gave us a preview of his new book “The Regimen.” This is a great book, he even offers a sample on his page.
I got to meet some great people and definitely learned a lot. Hopefully things that I can put to use to help my students and definitely improve personally.
I am grateful for the amazing opportunities.
Photo Credit: Lou Spirito
