jbeck@esm.rochester.edu

(585) 274-1472

 

John H. Beck has been a member of the Eastman faculty since 1959. He received his bachelor’s degree (1955) and master’s degree (1962), as well as Performer’s Certificate from Eastman. He retired from Eastman in 2008 and continues as Professor Emeritus of Percussion and teaches a class in The History of Percussion

 

Beck’s career as a performer and teacher includes posts as percussionist, timpanist, marimba soloist with the United States Marine Band (1955-59); principal percussionist with the Rochester Philharmonic (1959-62); and timpanist for the Rochester Philharmonic (1962-2002). He has made numerous solo appearances, including performances with the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Philharmonia Orchestra, Syracuse Wind Ensemble, Chautauqua Band, Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Corning Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Memphis State Wind Ensemble, Pennsylvania Festival Band, and Filharmonia Pomorska, Poland. Other engagements have included, the faculty of the Grand Teton Orchestra Seminar, conductor of the Penfield Symphony, performer, clinician, teacher, and conductor for the International Workshops for Percussion in Bydgoszcz, Poland; adjudicator for the International Percussion Competition in Luxembourg; the Japan Music Education and Culture Promotion in Tokyo, Japan; Timpani Competition, Paris, France and Snare Drum Competition, Atlanta, Georgia. He was percussionist in residence at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen, Denmark; the Royal Northern Academy of Music in Manchester, England, the Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Program and Rowan University, NJ. Clinician for the International Foundation for Performing Arts Medicine, New Jersey; soloist and instructor at the Encontro Latino Americanos De Percussao in Santa Maria, Brazil; instructor, clinician, adjudicator and performer for the Giornate della Percussione Competition in Fermo, Italy; Kosa International Percussion Workshops in Vermont; International Forum of Percussion in Zagan, Poland; Crossdrummig Percussion Festival in Warsaw, Poland; Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Vilnius, Lithuania; 10^th Anniversary of Neopercusion, Madrid, Spain; National Youth Orchestra, Seville, Spain and the International Percussion Workshops in Croatia. He has also toured Russia with 14 percussionists from the Percussive Arts Society.

 

As a conductor, Beck has appeared with the Eastman Percussion Ensemble (1962-2008); in a tour of South America with the Aeolian Consort as percussion soloist (1977); and has participated in numerous guest conducting and percussion clinics in the United States and Europe.

 

Articles by Beck have been published in Music Journal, The Instrumentalist, Woodwind World, Brass and Percussion, andPercussive Notes; he was also percussion columnist for the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI) Journal (1965-72). He has also contributed articles to the Grove Dictionary of American Music and the World Book Encyclopedia. Carl Fischer, Boston Music, Kendor Music, Meredith Music, MCA, Wimbledon Music, Inc., Studio 4 Productions, and CPP Belwin have published his compositions. His Encyclopedia of Percussion is in its second edition and is published by Routledge. He has served as state chairman for percussion, New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA, 1970-72); president of the New York State Percussive Arts Society (1976-82); national second vice president (1982-84), first vice president (1984-86), and president of the national Percussive Arts Society (1987-90).

 

Among the honors Beck has received include being named the Mu Phi Epsilon Musician of the Year (1976); the Monroe County School Music Association Award (1996); Eastman’s Eisenhart Award for Excellence in Teaching (1997); and the Arts and Cultural Council of Greater Rochester Award for contributions to the arts (1999). He was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1999.   The Percussive Arts Society presented him with an Outstanding Service Award (2002).  At Eastman’s 2003 Commencement, he was awarded the Edwin Peck Curtis Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching. The Commission Project presented him with the JD Award for outstanding service to music education in 2004.  Since retirement in 2008, he has been awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the New York State School Music Association  (2009), The President’s Award from Rowan University  (2010), the Lifetime Achievement Award from KOSA International Percussion (2010) and the Life Time Achievement Award from Giornate della Percussione, Fermo, Italy (2010). His book PERCUSSION MATTERS: Life at the Eastman School of Music was published in December 2011 by Meliora Press an imprint of the University of Rochester Press. The John Beck Composition Prize established by Percussion Rochester, a biennial percussion festival, will be awarded as a highlight of the 2012 festival.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RossTimp@aol.com

(585) 274-1550

 

Charles Ross has been the Principal Timpanist of the Rochester Philharmonic since 2003. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, he has performed, toured, and recorded as timpanist with many orchestras in the U.S. and abroad; among them include the Philadelphia Orchestra,La Scala Opera, Baltimore Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, RAI (Radio Orchestra) of Torino, (Italy), Chatauqua Festival Orchestra, and the Moscow and Philadelphia Chamber Orchestras.

 

Charles is on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music and the Brevard Music Center. He has also taught at the Curtis Institute of Music, Drexel University, and has given clinics and master classes for the Percussive Arts Society. His primary teachers have been Ken Belding, David Fein, Gerald Carlyss, Michael Bookspan, and Fred Hinger, as well as additional studies with Cloyd Duff, Saul Goodman, and Alan Abel.

In January, 2010, Charles gave his debut as timpani soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic, premiering a concerto written for him by Grammy award winning composer, producer, and conductor, Jeff Tyzik. Since then, he has given numerous performances of the piece, including one for public radio.

 

An accomplished jazz vibraphonist, Charles has performed a number of times as vibe soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic. As well, he actively performs in collaboration with fellow Eastman Faculty member, vibraphonist Howard Potter, as the “Mallet Time Duo”; additionally with his percussion colleagues of the Philharmonic, making up the “RPO Marimba Band”.

Charles is also the creator and manufacturer of RossTimp Kettledrum Mallets, currently used by professionals and students throughout the world. He is an affiliate artist and clinician with the Pearl/Adams Corporation, Evans/Daddario, JG Percussion, and Mike Balter Mallets.

 

“Charles Ross…A Stunning Timpanist.”  
 …Gil French; American Record Guide/Classical Producer WXXI-FM
 
“Ross’ performance of (Jeff) Tyzik’s concerto spanned from the delicate to the powerful; all played with a wizard’s precision.”
…Democrat and Chronicle; Rochester, NY

 

 

 

 

 

 

mburritt@esm.rochester.edu

(585) 274-1482

 

Having performed on four continents and nearly forty states Michael Burritt is one of the World’s leading percussion soloists. He is in frequent demand performing concert tours and master classes throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. Mr. Burritt has been soloist with the Dallas Wind Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Ju Percussion Group (Taiwan), Percussion Art Quartet (Germany), Amores Percussion Group (Spain), Peaux (Sweden) and the Tempus Fugit Percussion Ensemble of Pittsburgh, PA. Mr. Burritt has three solo recordings – Perpetual, and Shadow Chasers and recently released his third entitled Waking Dreams on the Resonator Records label. All the recordings are comprised of Burritt’s original compositions as well as works written expressly for him. He has been a featured artist at seven Percussive Arts Society International Conventions. In 1992 he presented his New York solo debut in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall and in 1998 performed his London debut in the Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall.

 

Mr Burritt has extensive chamber and orchestral experience and has performed with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, The Chicago Symphony, The Rembrandt Players, and the The Penninsula Music Festival Orchestra.

Mr. Burritt is also active as a composer, with two concertos to his credit, numerous solo and chamber works for marimba and percussion as well as two books of etudes. His works for solo marimba have become standard repertoire for the instrument and are frequently required repertoire on international competitions. He has been commissioned by The World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart Germany, The Paris International Marimba Competition, Third Coast Percussion Quartet, Exit 9 Percussion, Louisiana State University, The Northshore Concert Band and the Tempus Fugit Percussion Ensemble. Mr. Burritt is published with Ludwig Music, C. Allen and Keyboard Percussion Publications. Burritt is also an artist/clinician and product design/consultant for Malletech, where he has developed his own line of signature marimba mallets and an artist / educational clinician with the Zildjian Company. Mr. Burritt is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Board of Directors, a contributing editor for Percussive Notes Magazine and the chairman of the PAS Keyboard Committee.

 

Michael Burritt is currently Professor of Percussion and head of the department at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Prior to his appointment at Eastman Mr. Burritt was Professor of Percussion at Northwestern University from 1995-2008 where he developed a program of international distinction. Mr. Burritt received his Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees, as well as the prestigious Performers Certificate from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. His teachers have included John Beck, Gordon Stout, Paul Yancich and Herbert Flower.