Dr. Nicholas Papador and the Heartland Marimba Quartet
Vessels of Song PASIC Preview Concert and Book Launch:
The Precedents and Creation of Klezmer Suites for Mallet Ensemble
November 12, 2024, 7:30pm Performance Hall, Armouries, 353 Freedom Way
Dr. Nicholas Papador and the world-class Heartland Marimba Quartet (HMQ) will perform and discuss selections from Papador's collection of klezmer suites for mallet percussion entitled Vessels of Song. The presentation will provide a precedent for klezmer performance on mallet instruments through contributions of a small but significant line of performers. Michel Józef Guzikow built his own instrument, the ‘stroyfidl,’ a xylophone prototype. His tour of Western Europe in the 1830s was a catalyst for the development of the orchestral xylophone. After the Ashkenazi immigration to North America, klezmer underwent a diasporic transformation as its musicians explored jazz and popular music. Joseph Moskowitz elevated the role of dulcimer instruments in New York and Jacob Hoffmann recorded as a xylophone soloist with the Kandel Orchestra in the 1920s. Furthermore, attendees will hear and learn about enjoyable new ensemble literature with poignant historical and cultural significance. The program includes music from Papador's new arrangements: The Forebearers Suite, The Philadelphia Suite, The New York Suites (#1 & #2), and the Ukrainian Suite.
Percussionist and composer Nicholas Papador is Full Professor at the University of Windsor School of Creative Arts in Ontario, Canada. Heartland Marimba Publications released his book Vessels of Song: A Collection of Klezmer Suites for Mallet Ensemble in early 2024. Papador has presented internationally at events such as The Space Between, Transplanted Roots, Puerto Rico Conservatory International Percussion Festival, and PASIC. His recording credits include Marimba Collage (2022) and Points of Departure (2015). Additionally, he was an on-screen performer in Matthew Barney’s six-hour film opera, River of Fundament.
Since its inception in 2016, HMQ has performed at over 250 concerts nationwide. HMQ offers a broad platform for the music of American and international composers. The ensemble’s four members — Matthew Coley, Ryan Pearson, Marco Schirripa, and Hunter Gross — form a virtuosic and electrifying ensemble. HMQ has been featured as soloists with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Cheyenne Symphony, Minot Symphony, the University of Nebraska-Omaha Wind Ensemble, Millikin University Percussion Ensemble, and the International Marimba Orchestra. In 2022, HMQ was a featured guest artist at the World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart, Germany. The quartet released their debut album, VISION, in 2019 and is featured on other albums by Schirripa and Coley. Dedicated to bringing marimba performance to all communities, especially those underserved, HMQ provides numerous opportunities for artists, composers, and students at various stages of their careers. In line with this mission, HMQ was awarded a grant from New Music USA in 2020 and launched the New Quartets Project Consortium, commissioning six women composers. HMQ is committed to enriching the musical landscape and inspiring audiences through performance and community engagement.
This lecture/recital event is free and open to the public
