Ensemble Evolution

Ensemble Evolution’s Piteå Percussion Repertoire Festival was a breath of artistic fresh air. Stimulating, fun, diverse, and completely engaging. This was a wonderful experience for me, both as a presenter and attendant. I can only hope they host this festival again. - Casey Cangelosi

On March 16-19, 2011, Maria Finkelmeier, Jacob Remington, and Charles Martin (of Ensemble Evolution, the ensemble in residence at the Piteå Institution for Music and Media) directed and performed in the inaugural Piteå Percussion Repertoire Festival.

Conceived and supported by Anders Åstrand, this festival brought together over 40 musicians from around the world. Participants and audience members experienced four days filled with performances, clinics, improvisation sessions, workshops, and high-energy evening concerts. Meeting its goal, this event provided a unique platform for students and professionals to share repertoire and performance techniques while crossing cultural boundaries.

Participants included: Morris Palter and Ensemble 64.8, Casey Cangelosi, Daniel Berg, Fredrik Duvling, Rolf Landberg, Daniel Saur, Johan Svitzer (of EditionSvitzer publishing company), Toni Hietala and the Pori Palmgren Ensemble, Harri Lehtinen and the Tampere Ensemble, Framnäs Folkhögskolan Ensemble, Shaun Gallant, Chi-Hsai Lai, and Evan Dabbs.

Videos of the festival sessions can be found at http://vimeo.com/channels/piteapercussionrepfest

The Piteå Percussion Festival was perfectly organized and placed at one of the most exiting institutions in the Scandinavian countries. The atmosphere was truly intimate and it was the perfect place to meet with other percussionists from all over the world! - EditionSVITZER

Information about the festival

The Percussion Repertoire Festival was conceived by world-renowned percussionist Anders Åstrand, and was directed by Ensemble Evolution.

The festival included workshops in composition, improvisation, music technology and new media performance by Anders Åstrand, Maria Finkelmeier, Charles Martin, and Jacob Remington. Along with these sessions, each attendee (individual or group) was given the opportunity to perform and present new works or sessions regarding creative ways to approach new music.

The festival featured workshops, performances and educational sessions throughout each day. Along with these interactive sessions, the schedule included four high-energy evening concerts. Musicians, students and educators were invited to attend the sessions and all concerts were open to the public.

The list of featured performers and participants included:

• Anders Åstrand from Stockholm, Sweden
• Morris Palter and Ensemble 64.8 from Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
• Daniel Berg from Götenberg, Sweden
• Jacob Remington from Texas, USA
• Harri Lehtinen from Tampere, Finland
• Charles Martin from Canberra, Australia
• Toni Hietala from Pori, Finland
• Johan Svitzer from Odense, Denmark
• Maria Finkelmeier from Ohio, USA
• Daniel Saur from Piteå, Sweden
• Chi-Hsia Lai from Taichung, Taiwan
• Casey Cangelosi from West Virginia, USA

Evening Concert Schedule

• Wednesday, March 16: The ArcticConnection: Ensemble Evolution and Ensemble 64.8 (from Fairbanks, Alaska) welcome guests to Piteå to kickoff an exciting festival of percussive sounds!
• Thursday, March 17: Sweden’s “Slagverk” Showcase: Anders Åstrand, Rolf Landberg and Daniel Saur (Global Percussion Network) meet Daniel Berg and Fredrik Duvling (Rhythm Art Duo) for an evening showcase’s Swedish most exciting percussion stars!
• Friday, March 18: International Soloists take the Stage: Witness how captivating one musician can be as diverse percussion music is performed by personalities from around the world
• Saturday, March 19: Smorgasbord of International Percussionists: The closing concert of the Piteå Percussion Repertoire Festival will feature the festival participants after 4 days of enlightenment and inspiration.