Third Coast Percussion

Description

Photo credit: Saverio Truglia

Third Coast Percussion (Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, David Skidmore) is a GRAMMY® Award-winning Chicago-based percussion quartet and GRAMMY®-nominated composer collective. For over fifteen years, the ensemble has created exciting and unexpected performances that constantly redefine the classical music experience. The ensemble has been praised for “commandingly elegant” (New York Times) performances, the “rare power” (Washington Post) of their recordings, and “an inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune). A commission for a new work from composer Augusta Read Thomas in 2012 led to the realization that commissioning new musical works can be—and should be—as collaborative as any other artistic partnership. Through extensive workshopping and close contact with composers, Third Coast Percussion has commissioned and premiered new works by Philip Glass, Missy Mazzoli, Clarice Assad, Gemma Peacocke, Flutronix, Jlin, Tyondai Braxton, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Georg Friedrich Haas, Donnacha Dennehy, Glenn Kotche, Christopher Cerrone, and David T. Little, among others, in addition to many of today’s leading up-and-coming composers through their Currents Creative Partnership program. Third Coast Percussion currently serves as ensemble-in-residence at Denison University. 

Work Sample

Metamorphosis: Third Coast Percussion with Movement Art Is Performance date: 11/7/2020 (world premiere)
Run time: 55:04
Third Coast Percussion joins forces with the groundbreaking choreography of Movement Art Is (co-founded by Lil Buck and Jon Boogz) for an intimate, evening-length program that explores the duality of human nature. At once intensely personal and fiercely virtuosic, two disparate styles of street dance blend seamlessly with new music by Jlin and Tyondai Braxton, as well as Third Coast Percussion’s critically-acclaimed arrangements of Philip Glass’s Aguas da Amazonia.

Perfectly Voiceless by Devonté Hynes (aka Blood Orange)
Video Recorded: July 2021
Run Time: 11:31
Hynes composed the music for an entire evening-length program featuring Third Coast Percussion and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, with new choreography created by Emma Portner, Jon Boogz, and Lil Buck, which premiered in Chicago in September 2018. This piece, "Perfectly Voiceless", served as a musical interlude between choreographed pieces. TCP’s album “Fields,” which includes all of the music composed by Hynes as part of the project with HSDC was released on Cedille Records in October 2019, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards for “Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance” and “Best Engineered Album, Classical.”

The Hero by Clarice Assad, performed by TCP, Clarice Assad, and Sérgio Assad
Video Recorded: April 2021
Run Time: 3:38
This piece by Clarice Assad is part of a 3x Grammy nominated album and touring concert program called "Archetypes" which includes 12 original pieces of music composed by the artists, representing 12 Jungian archetypes. This example features Clarice Assad's musical interpretation of a hero.

The work samples submitted embody the culture of collaboration that Third Coast Percussion has intentionally fostered over the years. By collaborating with and learning from a wide range of creative voices, TCP is empowered to push new boundaries and redefine what a classical chamber ensemble can be.

Collaborating with choreographers Lil Buck and Jon Boogz resulted in a unique, high-impact multidisciplinary work called "Metamorphosis" that blends US street dance styles with contemporary classical music for percussion. Creating new music with Devonté Hynes challenged the "traditional" way that classically-trained musicians work with composers. Hynes composed music with synthesized and sampled sounds, which he then sent to Third Coast Percussion. TCP experimented with instruments to create a live performance version of the music, which they then recorded and sent back to Hynes for feedback. The end result represents a true collaboration between creator and performers. "Perfectly Voiceless" has quickly become a piece that student and professional percussion ensembles study and perform around the world. Working with Sérgio and Clarice Assad on the "Archetypes" project was an incredible opportunity for the six musicians to grow together as composers, combining percussion, guitar, piano, and voice to create an inspiring musical experience for audiences.

History

TCP was founded in 2005 by four young musicians who had developed a passion for percussion chamber music and wanted to see this art form reach a wider audience. Originally formed through the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, TCP performed in self-presented appearances and on established series, and in 2008 launched its own Chicago Concert Season which continues today. TCP has now been presented on major concert series across the country and began touring internationally in 2014, with performances on four continents to date. Since its founding, TCP has commissioned and premiered over 85 pieces from today's leading composers, and launched its Currents Creative Partnership in 2013 to provide new opportunities to music creators who are at the beginning of their careers or looking to expand their work in new directions. Education is a key pillar of the artists' work, and the ensemble engages in education activities in nearly every community it visits. In 2013, the four members of TCP resigned from other professional obligations to work full-time for TCP, later adding three full-time staff positions. TCP has released 13 albums (garnering four Grammy nominations and one Grammy win), 3 free mobile apps, and dozens of online performance videos.

Artistic Vision

The mission of Third Coast Percussion is to inspire and educate through the creation of exciting and unexpected musical experiences.

Third Coast Percussion's vision is a world-wide audience that embraces creativity, curiosity, and community through music.

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

Third Coast Percussion's signature K-12 and family program is called "Think Outside the Drum." This 100% audience participation program intersperses musical performances with teaching moments that introduce the building blocks of music: rhythm, melody, and timbre. This program was developed by building upon the four ensemble member's extensive experience as music educators. TCP performs this program as much as–if not more–than its concert programs in any given year, and takes great pride in the number of young people it has reached. In 2020, TCP developed a digital version of the program that is available for licensing. In 2021, TCP commissioned four female (two ALAANA) composers to create new pieces of music specifically for this program in an effort to represent a wider range of musical voices as part of this important program.