Gordon Stout is currently Professor of Percussion at the School of Music, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York, USA. A composer as well as percussionist who specializes in the marimba, he has studied composition with Joseph Schwantner, Samuel Adler and Warren Benson, and percussion with James Salmon and John Beck. As a composer-recitalist, he has premiered a number of his original compositions and works by other contemporary composers. Many of his compositions for marimba are published, and have already become standard repertoire for marimbists world-wide. A frequent lecture-recitalist for the Percussive Arts Society (PAS), he has appeared at twelve International PAS Conventions to date, as featured marimbist, as well as throughout the United States and Canada, Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Mexico. In May 1983, he performed clinics and recitals in France, Germany, Holland and Belgium with transcendental virtuosity, being described as the Rubinstein of all aspects of the marimba. Gordon Stout was on the Jury of the 1st and 2nd Leigh Howard Stevens International Marimba Competitions during the summers of 1995 and 1998. In the summer of 1998, he was a featured marimbist at the World Marimba Festival in Osaka, Japan and he was a member of the jury for the 2nd and 3rd World Marimba Competitions in Okaya, Japan and Stuttgart, Germany respectively. Gordon is a clinician/recitalist for Kp3 (formerly Malletech), and performs exclusively on their M5.0 Imperial Grand five-octave marimba.

In the small but cosy acoustical space of the Esplanade Recital Studio, I experienced the marimba as never before in its timbral fullness. The marimba, known in Mexico as the "wood that sings", had itself a five-octave span, allowing the player to produce a large range of pitches.

One aspect of the marimba I appreciated was its ability to blend tremoloes that were struck smoothly. This, coupled with dynamics ranging from near-silence to full-forced attack, brought out the emotions of songs like Eric Ewazen's Northern Lights.

The final piece, Three Choros (No. 1, 3 and 9) by Augusto Marcellino, proved to be the favourite among the audience with its chirpy Mexican feel.

Although this recital was FREE, only 1 person in class accompanied me for the event. This was even though I had e-mailed an announcement of the event to the whole class. I guess very few people check their e-mails regularly (if at all) or are simply not interested in this solo recital. However, I must say I have not regretted being present at this opportunity to broaden my musical exposure.

Gordon Stout is currently Professor of Percussion at the School of Music, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York, USA. A composer as well as percussionist who specializes in the marimba, he has studied composition with Joseph Schwantner, Samuel Adler and Warren Benson, and percussion with James Salmon and John Beck. As a composer-recitalist, he has premiered a number of his original compositions and works by other contemporary composers. Many of his compositions for marimba are published, and have already become standard repertoire for marimbists world-wide. A frequent lecture-recitalist for the Percussive Arts Society (PAS), he has appeared at twelve International PAS Conventions to date, as featured marimbist, as well as throughout the United States and Canada, Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Mexico. In May 1983, he performed clinics and recitals in France, Germany, Holland and Belgium with transcendental virtuosity, being described as the Rubinstein of all aspects of the marimba. Gordon Stout was on the Jury of the 1st and 2nd Leigh Howard Stevens International Marimba Competitions during the summers of 1995 and 1998. In the summer of 1998, he was a featured marimbist at the World Marimba Festival in Osaka, Japan and he was a member of the jury for the 2nd and 3rd World Marimba Competitions in Okaya, Japan and Stuttgart, Germany respectively. Gordon is a clinician/recitalist for Kp3 (formerly Malletech), and performs exclusively on their M5.0 Imperial Grand five-octave marimba.

In the small but cosy acoustical space of the Esplanade Recital Studio, I experienced the marimba as never before in its timbral fullness. The marimba, known in Mexico as the "wood that sings", had itself a five-octave span, allowing the player to produce a large range of pitches.

One aspect of the marimba I appreciated was its ability to blend tremoloes that were struck smoothly. This, coupled with dynamics ranging from near-silence to full-forced attack, brought out the emotions of songs like Eric Ewazen's Northern Lights.

The final piece, Three Choros (No. 1, 3 and 9) by Augusto Marcellino, proved to be the favourite among the audience with its chirpy Mexican feel.

Although this recital was FREE, only 1 person in class accompanied me for the event. This was even though I had e-mailed an announcement of the event to the whole class. I guess very few people check their e-mails regularly (if at all) or are simply not interested in this solo recital. However, I must say I have not regretted being present at this opportunity to broaden my musical exposure.

June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006

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