Marimbavoicefest

Marimbavoicefest Our 2021 festival for singing marimbists is virtual! This format allows some exciting changes from the inaugural 2019 event.

The festival will run three weekends from June 4-19 with Friday and Saturday night concerts and Saturday master classes.

Liz! I’m the self-elected president of her fan club. I have no idea what she’s presenting but I can promise it will be s...
01/26/2021

Liz! I’m the self-elected president of her fan club. I have no idea what she’s presenting but I can promise it will be smart, understated yet powerful, and elegant. She is a badass performer and a kind human being. Liz will present our first master class as the third and final weekend, she’s getting married!

The divine May Lee! During the inaugural festival May blew us all away. Her marimba playing is effortless, her arrangeme...
01/25/2021

The divine May Lee! During the inaugural festival May blew us all away. Her marimba playing is effortless, her arrangements flawless, and she can belt out a tune like no other. In her 90-minute master class (the final day of the festival), she'll share a little of her magic. She also plans to premiere a beatbox/marimba arrangement (actually, I'm not sure if it's an original or arrangement)!

Meet our first 2021 virtual presenter, Nathan Smith! Nathan will present a 90-minute master class with topics including ...
01/25/2021

Meet our first 2021 virtual presenter, Nathan Smith! Nathan will present a 90-minute master class with topics including composition for marimba and voice, and working with various singers. https://www.nathansmithpercussion.com/

01/09/2021

Hey gang,

Liz Soflin joined Brian, Lee, and me on the admin team. We're all excited for her coming contributions to the direction and growth of the festival.

Also, we have dates! We've decided to do the first 3 weekends in June to give a little breathing room with the virtual format.

Here's the tentative schedule.

Weekend 1
June 4, Friday, 7:30p MARIMBA CABARET! (live stream)
June 5, Saturday, 9a master class, 11a Voice 101 with Doug, 3p Art music recital, 7:30p Art music concert (live stream)(recital and concert organized by Lee and Liz)

Weekend 2
June 11, Friday 7:30p Guest Artist Concert (TBA)
June 12, Saturday 9a master class, 11a Broadway vocal class (TBA), 3p Broadway recital, 7:30p Broadway concert (live stream)(recital and concert organized by Brian)

Weekend 3
June 18, Friday 7:30p Pop/Rock/Country Concert (organized by Doug) (live stream)
June 19, Saturday 9a master class, 11a Pop Vocal Coaching (TBA), 3p closing recital (pop, rock, country) (organized by Doug)

Lots more to come in the next few weeks but this should give you a good idea of the shape we're taking in virtual format.

I'm so looking forward to hearing y'all sing and play again!

Doug

09/26/2020

Hey gang. I’m sitting here on my porch swing in KC enjoying an iced espresso and thinking how much I enjoyed the festival. You are all magic.

Brian, thank you for your patience, artistry, and spirit. You added so much to the festival from the cool Utah logo to the soft launch (à la Schitt’s Creek) to the heart you infused into its genesis. You’re so polished and centered.

Speaking of polished, Lee you are the epitome of professionalism. I loved your performance and I want to sign up for your careers class. Thank you so much for joining us and for the class you brought to the inaugural event.

Then it was just one mind blowing performance after another. May Lee you are incredible. I want to attend a presentation on your arranging style. Your marimba playing seems effortless and your voice has such soul. Rosie Cerquone I love your original music. I showed your YouTube channel to a few students recently. Super hip. Cacophonie Tamayo I learned a ton from the music you shared. Head to toe you are just cool. Jenny Gray you have nerves of steel. Performing for Lee was a cool exchange to witness. Jaelyn Quilizapa I mean just wow. You remind me of everything I love about musical theater. Your performance brought a smile to my face. Thanks too to your parents. They’re really great.

Kristen you have more energy and drive than maybe anyone I know. The passion you bring to this emerging art form is so incredible and inclusive.

Nathan Smith thanks for sharing the stage with the UVU vocalists. I loved your composition and if you weren’t so kind I’d be totally jealous of your effortless style. If only you had a gay brother in his 40’s. Ha ha ha

Thanks too to my former students who participated—Kim, Kelsey, Chris, Landon Whitworth, and Grace gave beautiful performances and Lorena, Alec, and Josiah brought social, sound, and drumming support that were all a big help. Also thanks to the additional student and faculty musicians who lent their talents and to the friends and colleagues who supported us all as audience members at the public events.

Also thanks to our first guest artist Emmanuel Sejourne. That vibe solo was awesome and it was pretty cool that he was so personable even chipping in to clean the bbq grill. Honestly I don’t think it’s ever been so meticulously cleaned before or since. And that chamber music he shared—so much virtuosity and a very interesting perspective on current western art music throughout Europe.

Really it was such a special event. Thank you all! So, when covid allows we may need a new KC logo. I’d love to see sessions with May Lee on arranging and Cacophonie Tamayo on composition as a form of self expression next time. Stuart Saunders Smith expressed interest previously in being a guest artist which would be super cool.

When a date becomes possible again I’ll be reaching out for suggestions on what we all liked and want to keep from last time and new ideas to incorporate as we move forward. I hope many of you will be able to attend again and look forward to new faces as well.

Stay safe and shine brightly.

06/23/2019

Thank you. Healed my soul a bit.

06/10/2019

Here are a few more of your future friends!

Rosie Cerquone is young percussionist currently completing her BM in Percussion Performance at the University of Montana. Besides classical percussion, she has also had opportunities to learn through other areas of music including the study of jazz drum set and vibraphone, West African drumming, and Balinese Gamelan. As a songwriter and composer, she loves to blend her knowledge of classical percussion and pop music. She is excited to be attending the Marimba + Voice festival this year to perform both pop cover songs and an original composition, “House.”

Christopher Dumas is a sophomore in the UVU percussion program. Growing up in West Jordan, Utah, Chris started playing percussion when he first entered the 7th grade. Since that time he has fallen in love with not only playing music, but starting to teach it as well.
Pursuing a Music Education degree he hopes to not only share his passion for music, but to also create a culture of family and welcoming that helped shape who he is today.

Kimberly Call is currently attending Utah Valley University as a Music Education major. She has instructed with music programs from a number of local schools including Park City High School, Maple Mountain High School, Merit College Preparatory Academy, and others. During her time at UVU, Kimberly has enjoyed creating her identity as a percussionist under the tutelage of Doug Smith and Jed Blodgett. Within her music she experiments with a variety of tones, textures and touches in an effort to provide a world of color for her audiences. Kimberly holds a great appreciation for world music and has found a deep love and respect for African hand drumming. She is excited to be traveling to Ghana next year, where she will pursue a more extensive education.

06/10/2019

And our one HS student who Brian Calhoon says is rad!

Jaelyn Quilizapa is a percussionist currently studying Classical Percussion Performance under the direction of Keith Aleo at the Interlochen Arts Academy. Jaelyn’s passion for performing in Broadway shows and singing brought her to arrange her favorite piece, “Ribbons Down My Back”, from the first musical she performed in, “Hello, Dolly!”. She has been performing in local musicals for 5 years and aspires to become a professional Broadway Percussionist.

06/10/2019

More bios of marimba voice fest performers!

Grace Johnson is a Sophomore in Utah Valley University’s Commercial Music Program. She began taking piano lessons at the age of 7 and fell in love with writing songs. After starting percussion in school at the age of 12, she began to recognize all of the possible tones that could be created through percussion. Only recently has she begun to experiment with Marimba and Voice. Grace hopes to one day pursue a Master’s degree in Composition and focus on composing film scores. She loves the way that music can bring people together and would hope to use it as a tool to do so now and in the future.

Paul Jolley is a Commercial Music Major at Utah Valley University. He is a graduate and Sterling Scholar for Instrumental Music at Lone Peak High School. Paul has performed with many artists like Marie Osmond, The Piano Guys, and David Archuleta. He has also enjoyed playing music with pop artists like Echosmith and Max Frost. Paul has played the Marimba and sung in Chamber Choirs since 2012. He currently has two albums available on SoundCloud under the name Dajolleyman. Influential mentors include Cathy Jolley, Dennis Griffin, and Lois Johnson.

May Lee is a percussionist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance and Music Education from Northwestern University, where she studied with She-e Wu, Christopher Lamb, and Vadim Karpinos. She aims to blend her background in classical music with her love for popular music, and has arranged songs such as “When I’m Sixty-Four” by the Beatles and “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae. She is currently pursuing her second passion as a cake decorator.

05/26/2019

Two more singing marimbists!

Jenny Gray is a contemporary percussionist from Seattle, Washington. She earned her Master of Music in Performance from Southern Oregon University and received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Seattle Pacific University. She has studied with Terry Longshore and Dan Adams. As a member of Left Edge Percussion, the contemporary ensemble in residence at Oregon Center for the Arts (OCA) at Southern Oregon University, she toured in Oregon, Idaho, California, and Mexico. She has performed alongside Bonnie Whiting, Ivan Manzanilla, Lynn Vartan, and Mark Applebaum. This past year, she composed and performed a solo percussion score for OCA Theatre Arts’ production of Sophocles’ Elektra. She has performed with the Rogue Valley Symphony and Brava Opera in Ashland, Oregon.

Landon Whitworth is a recent graduate of Brigham Young University-Idaho, where he received a B.A Degree, dabbling in Composition, Jazz Vibraphone, Percussion Performance, Marimba and Voice. Landon Studied with Doug Smith at Utah Valley University before transferring to BYU-Idaho. There he studied percussion performance with David Taylor and Kobe Watkins; Jazz vibes and piano with Justin Nielsen, and composition with Mark Watkins. Landon Plans to continue his education in Texas and hopes to be a music therapist and counselor. Landon is excited to be playing an original composition “With You...”as well as “Twelve Haiku” for the Marimba +Voice Fest.

Address

Kansas City, MO

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Marimbavoicefest posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category