This Third Coast Percussion concert co-presented by OICMF, Orcas Center

||| FROM ORCAS CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL and ORCAS CENTER |||

For many, the word percussion conjures a favorite drummer or drum solo—John Bonham on Led Zeppelin’s Moby Dick on a classic rock drum-set, perhaps; no wood blocks, metal pipes, xylophones, Thai Gongs, handheld folding fans. But a Chicago-based chamber music quartet is ever steadily turning that notion on its head. And winning plenty of Grammy attention in the process.

On April 16 at 7 pm, that quartet, Third Coast Percussion, will perform live on Orcas, courtesy of a co-production between Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival and Orcas Center.

The performance, Metamorphosis, will feature classical music from the famed composer Phillip Glass and new music from acclaimed electronic music producer Jlin. Mixing the old with the new, the classical with the contemporary, the glockenspiel with the cowbell are very much part of Third Coast Percussion’s M.O., one that has captivated audiences for years now.

We can expect plenty of eclectic twists at their Saturday evening concert. The themes of the concert will explore the duality of human nature with music that is bound to wow us with virtuosity and risk-taking.

Jan. 21, 2014; Ensemble, Third Coast Percussion deliver their talk titled, “Never Compromise, Collaborate,” followed by a performance during the TEDxUND 2014 event in the Debartolo Performing Arts Center. Photo by Barbara Johnston/University Photographer

This is part of Third Coast Percussion’s universal appeal. The ensemble continues to mix things up, seamlessly blending a spectrum of inflections and textures and pitches that achieve sonic cohesion while continuing to stretch the limits of percussion performance. They are, album by album, redefining the classical music experience.

Calling their music “commandingly elegant,” The New York Times zeroed in on their ability to infuse “a sensual approach to tone color” into their take on classical works. Critics have praised the music’s pared back minimalist elements as well as its bold ventures into amorphous melodic territory.

“The work reminds us of the primeval nature of percussion—and the vast possibilities for music with even the simplest of instruments,” KING FM’s Second Inversion writer Maggie Molloy wrote.

Their willingness to take risks and pull them off has resulted in multiple Grammy nods for the group, including a win for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble in 2017. These accolades and a commanding live performance with soprano saxophonist Ravi Coltrane during the 2017 ceremony brought their music to worldwide attention, both in and beyond the classical music sphere.

And that attention doesn’t seem to be waning.

On the heels of celebrating three more Grammy nods in Las Vegas this month, Third Coast Percussion remarked how exciting it was to see percussion as an art form placed front and center in conversations about classical music’s future.

“It’s a real moment we’re having, and every percussionist out there who is elevating our art form is a part of this,” the group stated in a recent Instagram post.

Steve Reich, considered among America’s greatest living composers, had this to say when first encountering the music of Third Coast Percussion: “You have to literally lean in to listen, which is a very good way to listen,” he said. “The whole thing just knocked my socks off.”

For tickets and information about Covid protocols for this event, please go to Orcas Center at www.orcascenter.org, or contact Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival at info@oicmf.org.

Please enjoy this video of Jon Kimura Parker as he lets us know how much he looks forward to Third Coast Percussion’s concert: Jon Kimura Parker TCP Video