On Sunday, Third Coast Percussion performed for industry greats and superstars -- including queen Beyonce herself -- at the 59th annual Grammy Awards. That was just before winning their first Grammy Award for their new album Third Coast Percussion | Steve Reich -- also marking the first time a percussion ensemble has won the award in the chamber music category.
"It feels especially nice because this album in particular, we really prepared for the recording sessions very intensely," says Sean Connors a few days before their Grammy performance. "We kind of dotted our i's and crossed all our t's. It feels really nice to get a nod from our colleagues that our work paid off."
FAQ
Third Coast Percussion
WHEN — 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Feb. 24
WHERE — Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville
COST — Thursday performance sold out; Friday $10
INFORMATION — 443-5600, waltonartscenter.org
FYI — Third Coast Percussion’s performance of “In C” in the Walker Atrium before their Thursday evening performance will feature local student and professional musicians and is free and open to the public.
And now Northwest Arkansas has the chance to see how their work paid off when Third Coast visits the Walton Arts Center stage Thursday and Feb. 24. Because of the popularity of groups like STOMP and the Blue Man Group, Connors acknowledges people often assume Third Coast to be another ensemble of that nature. But the versatility of percussion instruments -- from mallets and keys to found "instruments" like cans and bottles -- gives Third Coast the flexibility to jump between calm, beautiful numbers and high-energy, exciting ones.
"Percussion is so exciting and engaging for people because we're not limited to just drums," Connors offers. "We often have a loss of words when someone asks us to describe the kind of music we play. We say we're classically trained and informed, and we play that sort of music on percussion instruments. So it has the emotional tie and music that's very crafted, but at the same time, it does involve us sometimes being very physical."
All four members of Third Coast come from a scholastic background -- from teaching elementary-age kids to university-level musicians -- and have carried their passion for music education and audience engagement over to the ensemble. For their visit to the WAC, Third Coast will bring two of their educational programs for kids and families to supplement their chamber performance Feb. 24 as part of the "10x10 Arts Series."
During the week, six groups of about 150 school kids will learn about the very basic scientific concepts behind music before trying their hand at what they've learned from the quartet in their program, "Waves." Then, on Thursday, families and music lovers (Who already have tickets -- the show is sold out.) of all ages can attend the ensemble's interactive program "Think Outside the Drum," in which audience members will learn about the building blocks of music like rhythm, melody and timbre while participating in games with the performers. And although Thursday evening's show is sold out, the public is invited to the quartet's pre-show performance of minimalist percussion composition "In C" in the Walker Atrium, where they will be joined by local student and professional musicians.
"It's really great to make the world a little smaller through music. And I think it's really important to come together and share something really positive even though you might be from a different place or background," Connors muses.
NAN What's Up on 02/17/2017