Dear friends and fans,

This is an exciting time for So Percussion. This year, we are developing several new projects and playing some incredible gigs. With your help, we can continue to grow and 2013 can be the biggest year in our history.

 * BAM – We just finished a successful run of our new show Where (we) Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. We’ll be donating the proceeds of our merchandise sales from BAM to Red Hook Initiative, an organization working with some of those hardest-hit by Hurricane Sandy.

 * New David Lang/Bryce Dessner project – We’ll be back at one of NYC's major venues (!) in November performing David Lang’s the so-called laws of nature, a new work by Bryce Dessner (of The National), and a new piece we’re writing collaboratively with Bryce and David.  Our friends in electronic duo Matmos will also remix Bryce and David’s pieces with new videos we’re commissioning for the event.

 * World Premiere at the Barbican (UK) – In other Lang-related news, we will premiere David’s man made, written for So Percussion, with the BBC Symphony at the Barbican Centre May 10, 2013. The North American premiere will be with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Hall in 2014.

 * New record - In May we’ll release our record of Dan Trueman’s piece neither Anvil nor Pulley.

 * Education – Summer of 2013 will be our fifth annual Summer Institute (SoSI), and we'll mark the occasion with a huge Steve Reich celebration this year.  Also, this year for the first time we will admit composers as well as percussionists!

Your tax-deductible donation makes all this possible –help us pay for our rehearsal space, instrument maintenance, artist salaries, our lean and effective administrative team, travel expenses, and so much more. For over a decade now, we have worked to redefine the modern percussion ensemble, pushing its voice to the forefront of American musical culture.

Please visit sopercussion.com/donate to help us continue this work!

Sincerely,

Sō PERCUSSION


 

So Percussion's John Cage Bootlegs Project Featured in the New York Times Sunday Arts and Leisure

In this Sunday's New York Times, critic Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim reviews our John Cage Bootlegs project, a limited edition package celebrating the 100th anniversary of Cage's birth. Although much of our fall is dedicated to our new show "Where (we) Live," we have Cage-dedicated concerts at Northwestern University and the Atlas Arts Center in Washington D.C. Check out our Schedule page for more info.

Here's the link to Bang on a Can's site to check it out! More copies are being made.

New Trailer for Where (we) Live leading up to BAM Next Wave Festival!

From December 19-22, we will be performing at the Harvey Theater in Brooklyn on BAM's Next Wave Festival.  

We made a little trailer video from the MInneapolis premiere at the Walker Art Center.  

Where (we) Live Trailer from Eric Bradley Beach on Vimeo.

World Premiere and Album Release of Where (we) Live!

On Tuesday, September 25th, Where (we) Live is released on Cantaloupe Music.

On Friday and Saturday the 28-29, the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis hosts So Percussion for the world premiere of this multi-arts performance.

So's "Where (we) Live" Kickstarter project as success, fall season begins!

Our first ever fundraising project on Kickstarter was an even bigger success than we had hoped for: 185 people generously invested in our new album, and we had reached our goal of $7,500 within the first five days!  The records are back from the manufacturer, and we couldn't be more thrilled.

Check out the Schedule page above to see our whole fall schedule. We'll be performing the Where (we) Live stage show in Minneaplis, Montana, and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's "Next Wave" Festival.

So Percussion's "Where (we) Live"

This spring, between tours, we’ve been holed up in our studio and at Vermont Performance Lab in Guilford, VT hashing out new tunes for our next big show Where (we) Live and we need your help to bring the piece to completion.

Announcing the launch of our Kickstarter project,
co-presented by Cantaloupe Music
So Percussion's Where (we) Live: recording and performances

Visit our project page, watch the video (created by So Percussion's Eric Beach!), and learn more about the project. The trick about Kickstarter is that we have to reach our goal in order to get funded at all! Every dollar really does help, so give what you can so that we can count you as part of our Where (we) Live community.

We are so excited to embark on this adventure with our friends at Cantaloupe Music. Become a backer in the early days of the Kickstarter project and Cantaloupe will include your name in the liner notes for the new record! Lots of other great rewards to that we hope to be able to share with you.

With your 100% tax-deductible donation we can close the funding gap and bring more new original music by So Percussion into the world.  Where (we) Live premieres at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis in September and heads to BAM’s 30th Next Wave Festival 2012 in December. We hope that you’ll help us bring Where (we) Live to life, from our home to you!

All our best,
Sō PERCUSSION

Sold Out John Cage Tribute at Carnegie Hall Draws Rave Reviews

"...one of the more entertaining and fulfilling evenings I've had in recent years...I would have happily seen it five more times."

- Alex Ross, music critic for the New Yorker

So's concert March 26th was the first of Carnegie's "American Mavericks" concerts, a weeklong festival celebrating the innovative and idiosyncratic American composition tradition.

Here's the New York Times review!

So Percussion announces "The Cage Bootlegs," a sprawling recording project. 

Check out our page HERE for more information!

So performs with Dave Douglas at the The Jazz Standard

On Friday, December 9, we'll be joining Dave Douglas to celebrate the release of "Bad Mango," our release on Greenleaf Records as part of their "GPS" series.

December Shows in NYC!

Please join us this month for 3 very different and special events:

November 29 - December 4
Park Avenue Armory
New York, NY
Undivided Divided, a new original score by So Percussion for a
huge new work by choreographer Shen Wei in the 55,000 square foot Drill Hall.

Friday, Dec 09 - 7:30, 9:30, 11:30
The Jazz Standard
NYC
So performs selections from our new release "Bad Mango" with trumpeter Dave Douglas.

Wednesday, December 14 - doors at 7pm, show at 8pm
The Beacon Theatre
NYC
So Percussion opens for The National

Our Latest Newsletter

A new soundtrack album, shows galore, and more!

So Percussion to be Ensemble-in-Residence at Princeton University

So Percussion is thrilled to announce that we are an Edward T. Cone Ensemble-in-Residence at Princeton University for the 2011-2012 year!  We will be co-teaching Paul Lansky's graduate seminar on writing for percussion, as well as working closely with student composers as they create new pieces.

Our involvement with Princeton has grown over the years:  three major pieces by Princeton faculty (Paul Lansky, Steve Mackey, Dan Trueman), our annual summer institute held on the campus, and many workshops for students.   

Look in the spring for more information about a culminating concert featuring world premieres of Princeton music by So.  

Steve Mackey and Steve Reich discs to be released in September

So Percussion is thrilled to announce two landmark recordings that will be out this month:  Steve Mackey's It Is Time on Cantaloupe Music, and Steve Reich's Mallet Quartet on Nonesuch Records, both written for So.

It Is Time will be released September 27 on Cantaloupe Music, and can now be pre-ordered at Amazon.

Mallet Quartet will be released September 20 on Nonesuch Records.

2011-2012 Season is Underway!

Check back here soon for updates about new albums.

Click on "schedule" above to see where we'll be this fall.  

Our Summer Newsletter

SoSI 2011, premieres of new works, John Cage, Steve Reich recording, and our new Creation Initiative! Read HERE

Nonesuch Records releases Reich's Mallet Quartet, featuring So Percussion.

Nonesuch Records has announced that they will be releasing So Percussion's recording of Steve Reich's Mallet Quartet (written in 2009 for So, along with WTC 9/11, his new piece for the Kronos Quartet. The release also features the Kronos Quartet and Steve Reich and Musicians. More Information

 

So announces the Creation Initiative to foster new work

The So Percussion Creation Initiative is newly created in 2011 to fund and foster our deeply collaborative process with composers and other artists, as well as the creative work of So Percussion. Check it out here at www.sopercussion.com/creation . 

 

 

So Performs New York Premiere of Steve Reich's Mallet Quartet in Landmark Concert at Carnegie Hall

New York Times Review

We were honored and thrilled to share the stage with The Kronos Quartet, Eighth Blackbird, and the Bang on a Can All-Stars and Friends in this unforgettable sold-out evening.  

 

 

So Performs World Premiere of Glenn Kotche's Drumkit Quartets

Thursday, April 14 - 7:30pm
The Morgan Library
NYC 
Meet the Composer Studio project

Glenn Kotche has written a wonderful new set of pieces for So Percussion, which will be premiered along with Marcos Balter's piece for the International Contemporary Ensemble as part of Meet the Composer's Three City Dash.


 

So Percussion receives the American Music Center's "Trailblazer" Award

press release

The Trailblazer Award, instituted in 2003, honors those deserving of commendation and support for their early and mid-career efforts in championing new music. Previous winners have included Matt Haimovitz, eighth blackbird, Derek Bermel, and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE).

AMC President and CEO Joanne Hubbard Cossa comments, "Our previous Trailblazer Award winners have all shown dedication to their field and craft, abundant energy, as well as the emergence of a new and powerful voice, and So Percussion is no exception. The field of new American music is benefiting greatly from their innovative talent and we are pleased to honor their previous accomplishments and look forward to hearing more from this passionate ensemble."

 

 

So Percussion Joins Bard Conservatory Faculty

The Bard College Conservatory of Music has announced the appointment of So Percussion to its faculty. The members of So Percussion - Eric Beach, Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, and Jason Treuting - will serve as codirectors of the Conservatory's undergraduate-only percussion program, which will admit its first students in August of 2011. Joining us on the teaching faculty will be Greg Zuber, Daniel Druckman, and Jonathan Haas.

Bard is also home to the John Cage Trust, and we are excited to work more closely with them as the Cage centenary approaches in 2012.

For more information, check out the official announcement here.

 

 

Paul Lansky's Threads released on Cantaloupe 

We are excited to announce the official release of Paul Lansky's Threads on Cantaloupe Music.Grab it now from Cantaloupe Music, iTunes, Amazon or directly from So Percussion at our performances. We are thrilled at how many young players have been performing this wonderful piece.


 

  Announcing So Percussion Summer Institute 2011

"Memory and Conversation: Composed and Improvised Music in an Expansive Musical Culture."
July 23rd to August 7th, 2011
Princeton University

This year's guest artists:

Martin Schmidt of Matmos, Dan Deacon, guitarist Grey McMurray, composer Cenk Ergun, Ben Wendel of Kneebody (tentative), and drummer/composer Bobby Previte (also tentative). We will continue to have Princeton faculty Steve Mackey and Paul Lansky as composers-in-residence.

For more information visit sopercussion.virb.com/so-percussion-summer-institute