Third Coast Percussion Mounts Chicago Concert Season With Numerous Premieres

Third Coast Percussion, a GRAMMY Award-winning quartet of classically trained percussionists, has announced its latest Chicago concert season offering hometown audiences in 2022-23 the first listen to: a new arrangement of the Brazil-inspired Aguas da Amazonia by the legendary Philip Glass in this, his 85th birthday year; a pair of provocative World Premieres by renowned contemporary composers Missy Mazzoli (Millennium Canticles) and Mark Applebaum (Gauntlet); and Metamorphosis, a dynamic collaborative program featuring Chicago Premieres of new percussive scores by Jlin and Tyondai Braxton with choreography by the in-demand LA-based street dance duo of Lil Buck and Jon Boogz; and a third World Premiere, by Third Coast Percussion itself. And beyond city limits, the ensemble continues to represent its Chicago roots via a much-anticipated debut at Carnegie Hall in January 2023 and robust international touring schedule.

"Chicago has always been more than a homebase for us: it is a vital part of our artistic identity. We're thrilled to renew our commitment to this great city through this series of Chicago concerts, featuring both world premieres and audience favorites, in partnership with some of the city's great cultural institutions," said David Skidmore, Third Coast Percussion executive director and ensemble member.

Third Coast Percussion 2022-23 Chicago concert season

All Philip Glass program with Aguas da Amazonia (U.S. Premiere)

September 13, 2022, at 7pm

Field Museum of Chicago, James Simpson Theater, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive

Ticket: $30; $25 for students and members/donors of the Field Museum and Third Coast Percussion

Third Coast Percussion presents the U.S. premiere of its arrangement of Aguas da Amazonia (Waters of the Amazon) by renowned American composer Philip Glass in this-his 85th birthday year. Inspired by his visit to Brazil, each movement of the suite vividly represents the unique character and majesty of various waterways in the Amazon region. The work received its World Premiere by Third Coast Percussion at the Philharmonie de Paris in August 2021. The all-Glass program is rounded out by a rare performance of Perpetulum, his first-ever piece for percussion ensemble which was commissioned by Third Coast Percussion in 2018 and premiered to a sold-out crowd at the Chicago Humanities Festival that year. More information on Philip Glass HERE.

Rituals and Meditations (Three World Premieres)

December 7, 2022, at 7:30pm

DePaul School of Music, Holtschneider Performance Center, 2330 N. Halsted Street

Tickets: $25; $10 for students ($50 premium seats include post-show reception with artists)

Third Coast Percussion presents an evening of inventive new works for percussion that explores how music plays a role in everything from renewing a world in chaos to the pursuit of wellness through meditation practice. In its World Premiere performance, Missy Mazzoli's Millennium Canticles imagines the four musicians as a post-apocalyptic group of survivors who struggle to remember the rituals and stories that once made them human. Emphasizing the hope and optimism of these survivors, the work depicts the human need to tell stories and create meaning through repeated actions, whether that's chanting, praying, or playing drums. Also having its World Premiere, Mark Applebaum's semi-theatrical Gauntlet transforms hundreds of tiny everyday objects into the sonic backdrop for a grand procession in which the quartet creates a unique sound world with these 'instruments.' Rounding out the concert program is Joe Moore III's Halo, an exciting meditation on an optical phenomenon, and a third World Premiere - an original composition (to be named) by Third Coast Percussion that brings the focus inward, exploring the ritual of meditation through sound. More information on Missy Mazzoli HERE, Mark Applebaum HERE and Joe Moore III HERE.

Metamorphosis (Chicago Premiere)

May 2, 2023, at 7:30pm

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Street

Tickets: $20-50

Third Coast Percussion joins forces with the groundbreaking choreography of Los Angeles-based Movement Art Is (Lil Buck and Jon Boogz, two of today's leading U.S. street dancing movement artists) for an intimate, evening-length program that explores the duality of human nature. At once intensely personal and fiercely virtuosic, two disparate styles of street dance blend seamlessly with new works by Jlin (entitled Perspective), one of the most prominent female producers of the current generation, and by Tyondai Braxton (Sunny X), prolific composer and musician formerly of the Battles and Dirty Projectors, among other bands. Completing the program are two pieces from Third Coast Percussion's arrangements of Philip Glass's Aguas da Amazonia. More information on Movement Art Is HERE, Jlin HERE and Tyondai Braxton HERE.

Tickets for the two Chicago concerts in 2022 (at the Field Museum and at the DePaul School of Music) will be available for purchase starting August 19, 2022, on the Third Coast Percussion website, www.thirdcoastpercussion.com. Tickets for the Harris Theater performance in 2023 will be available for purchase starting September 2022.

Among Third Coast Percussion's high-profile engagements in the 2022-23 season are its much-anticipated Carnegie Hall debut, January 20, 2023, with the World Premiere of the Metamorphosis program (a co-commission between the ensemble and Carnegie Hall). Unique to this engagement at Zankel Hall, the performance will feature a special in-the-round configuration for a truly immersive experience. Other forthcoming national stops include the quartet's debut at Stanford University's Bing Concert Hall, January 2023, featuring the second performances of Mazzoli's Millennium Canticles and Applebaum's Gauntlet, and a final performance of Metamorphosis this season at Performing Arts Houston in May 2023, following the Harris Theater engagement. Among its busy touring schedule in 2022-23 are international dates in Belgium, The Netherlands, Lithuania, and Hong Kong.

Third Coast Percussion's 2022/2023 Chicago Concert Season is generously supported by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the Robert & Isabelle Bass Foundation, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and the Zell Family Foundation. Third Coast Percussion's production of Metamorphosis is made possible through the Harris Theater Creative Future Fund.

Third Coast Percussion (comprised of Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, David Skidmore) is a GRAMMY Award-winning Chicago-based percussion quartet and GRAMMY-nominated composer collective. For over fifteen years, the ensemble has created exciting and unexpected performances that constantly redefine the classical music experience. The ensemble has been praised around the country for "commandingly elegant" (New York Times) performances, the "rare power" (Washington Post) of its recordings, and "an inspirational sense of fun and curiosity" (Minnesota Star-Tribune). A commission for a new work from composer Augusta Read Thomas in 2012 led to the realization that commissioning new musical works can be-and should be-as collaborative as any other artistic partnership. Through extensive workshopping and close contact with composers, Third Coast Percussion has commissioned and premiered new works by Philip Glass, Missy Mazzoli, Clarice Assad, Gemma Peacocke, Flutronix, Jlin, Tyondai Braxton, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Georg Friedrich Haas, Donnacha Dennehy, Glenn Kotche, Christopher Cerrone, and David T. Little, among others, in addition to many of today's leading up-and-coming composers through its Currents Creative Partnership program. Third Coast Percussion currently serves as ensemble-in-residence at Denison University. More information on Third Coast Percussion HERE.

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