The John Psathas Percussion Project, Vol. 1 Omar Carmenates

• John Psathas (n. 1966), Omar Carmenates:
• 1 Corybas (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble) 11:47
• Piano Quintet (Arr. O. Carmenates for Piano & Percussion Ensemble):
• 2 Piano Quintet (Arr. O. Carmenates for Piano & Percussion Ensemble): I. — 07:58
• 3 Piano Quintet (Arr. O. Carmenates for Piano & Percussion Ensemble): II. — 05:53
• 4 Piano Quintet (Arr. O. Carmenates for Piano & Percussion Ensemble): III. — 04:16
• Drum Dances (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble):
• 5 Drum Dances (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble): I. — 01:21
• 6 Drum Dances (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble): II. — 02:35
• 7 Drum Dances (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble): III. — 03:01
• 8 Drum Dances (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble): IV. — 02:43
• Muisca (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble):
• 9 Muisca (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble): I. Soledad 04:10
• 10 Muisca (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble): II. Chia 04:56
• 11 Muisca (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble): III. El Dorado 05:30
• John Psathas, Omar Carmenates:
• 12 Matre's Dance (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion) 09:30
• 13 Jettatura (Arr. O. Carmenates for Marimba & Vibraphone) 05:00
• 14 Aegean (Arr. O. Carmenates for Percussion Ensemble) 04:39
• Total Runtime 01:13:19

Info for The John Psathas Percussion Project, Vol. 1

The idea for The John Psathas Percussion Project, Vol. 1 began in 2013 with John Psathas’ piano and gamelan piece Waiting: Still which Omar Carmenates arranged for percussion trio. While unknown at the time, this arrangement launched a five-year-long relationship that culminates in Carmenates’ debut for PARMA Recordings. For The John Psathas Percussion Project, Vol. 1, Carmenates acts as arranger, director, and performer, and is joined by a roster of talented musicians including pianist Daniel Koppelman and drum set soloist Justin Alexander.

The works on The John Psathas Percussion Project, Vol. 1 draw inspiration from a wide range of sources. Corybas was built around a particular dance groove found in Macedonia, and Piano Quintet is reflective of the work of composers ranging from Arvo Pärt to Johann Sebastian Bach. Drum Dances is heavily influenced by the drumming style of Dave Weckl, while the virtuoso keyboard duo Jettatura is inspired by an incredibly unlucky trip by the composer to his homeland of Greece.

The works of Greek composer John Psathas emerge from a truly dazzling 21st-century backdrop, where dynamic collaboration with creative masters from all corners of the physical and artistic globe result in outcomes that are visionary, moving, and inspired. Brought to life by Carmenates’ efforts, Psathas’ compositions invite listeners on an aural journey into his musical and ethnic history.

Daniel Koppelman, piano
Justin Alexander, drumset
Omar Carmenates, vibraphone, marimba, percussion
Ryan Patterson, marimba
Omar Carmenates, vibraphone
Emma Gierszal, marimba
Justin Lamb, marimba, vibraphone

Omar Carmenates
is currently the Associate Professor of Percussion at Furman University in Greenville SC. He holds a Doctor of Music degree from Florida State University, a Master of Music Degree in Percussion Performance from the University of North Texas, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Central Florida.

Omar is also a versatile performer with a strong interest in performing and recording contemporary solo and chamber music. His debut solo recording, entitled The Gaia Theory, was released in 2013 and he can also be heard on the Cantaloupe Records release of John Luther Adams’ concert-length Inuksuit for 9-99 percussionists, a work that he both co-commissioned and directed in its United States premiere.

Omar is a proud endorser/artist for Grover Pro Percussion, Vic Firth, Inc. Remo Drumheads, Sabian Cymbals, and Pearl Corporation / Adams Musical Instruments. PHOTO: Dan Plehal

Justin Alexander
is an Assistant Professor of Music at Virginia Commonwealth University where he teaches Applied Percussion Lessons, Percussion Methods and Techniques, Introduction to World Musical Styles, Music and Dance Forms, and directs the VCU Percussion Ensemble. Alexander is a founding member of Novus Percutere, with percussionist Dr. Luis Rivera, and The AarK Duo, with flutist Dr. Tabatha Easley. Recent highlights include collaborative performances in Sweden, Australia, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and at the 6th International Conference on Music and Minimalism in Knoxville TN. As a soloist, Alexander focuses on the creation of new works for percussion through commissions and compositions specifically focusing on post-minimalist/process/iterative keyboard music, non-western percussion, improvisation, and drum set. Alexander has commissioned, premiered, and recorded works by noted composers John Luther Adams, Christopher Adler, Adam Silverman, Blake Tyson, Halim El-Dabh, Ivan Treviño, and Brian Nozny. Alexander currently holds the position of Principal Percussion with the Wintergreen Summer Performing Arts Festival, and appears regularly with The Richmond Symphony. He has performed with The Florida Orchestra, The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, The Aspen Festival Orchestra, The Eastern Music Festival Faculty Orchestra, and the Tallahassee Symphony.

Alexander currently serves as President of the Virginia / Washington, D.C. chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. He has served on the PAS University Pedagogy Committee, PAS Drum Set Committee, and has published articles in Percussive Notes, the official research journal of PAS.

Alexander earned his Doctorate of Music from The Florida State University in Tallahassee FL. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Arkansas. Alexander’s primary teachers include Dr. John Parks, Dr. Blake Tyson, and Mr. Leon Anderson. He is an endorser of Pearl /Adams musical instruments, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, Grover Pro Percussion, and Remo drumheads.

Daniel Koppelman
Born in New York and raised in California, Daniel Koppelman has gained experience with many different musical traditions—classical and popular, composed and improvised, acoustic and electronic—which has led him to explore their intersections in search of new possibilities for performing, teaching, and creating music. Koppelman's current performance interests include digital signal processing of acoustic piano and improvisation with various real-time controllers in conjunction with Cycling '74's Max/MSP and Ableton Live software. He has recorded for CRI, New World Records, Neuma Records, Capstone, SEAMUS, C74, Everglade, and Innova. His 2005 2-disc CD/DVD set of 21st-century music for piano and electronics, Escapement, was hailed by Keyboard Magazine as "engaging, intelligent, and unpretentious." Koppelman holds degrees from San Francisco State University (B.M.), Indiana University (M.M.), and the University of California at San Diego (Ph.D.), where he was a Regents Fellow; his piano teachers have included Wayne Peterson, James Tocco, Cecil Lytle, and Aleck Karis. Currently Professor and Director of Music Technology at Furman University in Greenville SC, Koppelman has been a resident artist at STEIM in Amsterdam, the Institute of Sonology in The Hague, and the Center for Research in Computing and the Arts in La Jolla CA. In 2008 he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach courses in Odessa, Ukraine in contemporary American music and the creative use of new technological tools. In 2009 his Fulbright was extended to provide for lecturing and concertizing across Ukraine. Koppelman combines with Ruth Neville to form duo runedako; their recent CD Recombinant Nocturnes features music for piano and electronics by Benjamin Broening.

Booklet for The John Psathas Percussion Project, Vol. 1