Feb 22: Barbican Presents Third Coast Percussion in Metamorphosis feat. Groundbreaking Choreography by Movement Art Is

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Katy Salomon | Primo Artists | VP, Public Relations 
katy@primoartists.com | 212.837.8466 

 Barbican Presents Third Coast Percussion 
in Acclaimed Program, Metamorphosis

Featuring Groundbreaking Choreography by Movement Art Is 
(Lil Buck and Jon Boogz), Program Explores the Duality of Human Nature
Through a Blend of Street Dance and Percussion Ensemble

International Tour Includes Dates in U.S., The Netherlands, and Poland

“virtuosity and deft, precisely timed wit” – The Washington Post 

www.thirdcoastpercussion.com
 

London, UK (January 17, 2024) – On Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 7:30pm, the Barbican presents GRAMMY® Award-winning percussion quartet Third Coast Percussion (TCP) in their interdisciplinary program Metamorphosis, featuring groundbreaking choreography by Movement Art Is (Lil Buck and Jon Boogz) at Milton Court Concert Hall.

Performed and interpreted by movement artists Trent Jeray and Cameron Murphy, Metamorphosis is an intimate evening-length program that explores the duality of human nature. At once intensely personal and fiercely virtuosic, the production seamlessly blends two disparate styles of street dance with new music by electronic music pioneers Jlin and Tyondai Braxton, paired with Third Coast Percussion’s critically acclaimed arrangement of Philip Glass’s Aguas da Amazonia. 

Watch the panel discussion ‘Dancing Conversations' with TCP member David Skidmore and the choreographers of Metamorphosis, Jon Boogz and Lil Buck, to learn more about how Metamorphosis was created.

Jlin's Perspective was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music and is featured on TCP's 2023 GRAMMY Award-nominated album Perspectives, alongside Metamorphosis One. Tyondai Braxton's Sunny X is on TCP's newest GRAMMY-nominated album, Between Breaths. 

The repetitive structures and meditative harmonies of Glass’s music have lent themselves to compelling arrangements for multiple musical instruments. Aguas da Amazonia takes its name and inspiration from the Amazon River and its tributaries. Drawing on both original piano music and a later arrangement for the Brazilian ensemble Uakti, TCP has reimagined the work using mallet percussion instruments and other unique instrumental colors including melodica, desk bells, and almglocken to forge their own arrangement.

The Barbican performance is the second to last stop on TCP’s international tour of the Metamorphosis program with dance, which debuted in November 2023 in the U.S. and will continue on Sunday, February 17, 2024 at De Doelen in The Netherlands and on Saturday, February 24, 2024 in Poland (Venue TBA).

Program Details
Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 7:30pm
Barbican Presents Metamorphosis with Dance
Milton Court Concert Hall | London, UK
Tickets: £25-35.00
Link: https://tickets.barbican.org.uk/choose-seats/1750201 

Program:
Philip Glass (arranged by Third Coast Percussion) – Metamorphosis No. 1
Jlin – Perspective
Tyondai Braxton – Sunny X
Philip Glass (arranged by Third Coast Percussion) – Amazon River

Trent Jeray, movement artist
Cameron Murphy, movement artist
Lighting design by Joe Burke
Stage direction by Leslie Buxbaum Danzig

More About Third Coast Percussion
A direct connection with the audience is at the core of all of Third Coast Percussion’s work, whether the musicians are speaking from the stage about a new piece of music, inviting the audience to play along in a concert or educational performance, or uniting fans around the world via one of their free mobile apps. The four members of Third Coast are also accomplished teachers, and make active participation by all students the cornerstone of all their educational offerings, including thoughtfully curated K-12 workshops and family programming.

The quartet’s curiosity and eclectic taste have led to a series of unlikely collaborations that have produced exciting new art. Their omnivorous musical appetite, paired with approachable and flexible working methods, remove collaborative boundaries across cultures and disciplines. The ensemble has worked with engineers at the University of Notre Dame, architects at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, dancers at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and musicians from traditions ranging from the mbira music of Zimbabwe’s Shona people, to indie rockers and footwork producers, to some of the world’s leading concert musicians. Third Coast Percussion served as ensemble-in-residence at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center from 2013-2018, and currently serves as ensemble-in-residence at Denison University.

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, Jlin, Danny Elfman, Clarice Assad, Gemma Peacocke, Flutronix, Tyondai Braxton, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Georg Friedrich Haas, Donnacha Dennehy, Glenn Kotche, Christopher Cerrone, and David T. Little, plus many of today’s leading up-and-coming composers through their Currents Creative Partnership program. TCP’s commissioned works have become part of the ensemble’s core repertoire and seen hundreds of performances around the world. In 2023, Jlin’s Perspective, commissioned by TCP, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Third Coast Percussion’s recordings include 17 feature albums, and appearances on 14 additional releases. Besides putting its its stamp on iconic percussion works by John Cage and Steve Reich, the quartet has created first recordings of commissioned works by Philip Glass, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Gavin Bryars, Donnacha Dennehy, David T. Little, Ted Hearne, and more – in addition to recordings of original Third Coast compositions. In 2017 the ensemble won the GRAMMY® Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for their recording of Steve Reich’s works for percussion. Third Coast has since received four additional GRAMMY® nominations as performers, and in 2021 they received their first GRAMMY® nomination as composers.

Third Coast Percussion has always maintained strong ties to the vibrant artistic community in their hometown of Chicago. They have collaborated with Chicago institutions including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Uniting Voices Chicago choir, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Humanities Festival, and the Adler Planetarium. TCP performed at the grand opening of Maggie Daley Children’s Park; conducted residencies at the University of Chicago and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago; created multi-year collaborative projects with Chicago-based composers Jessie Montgomery, Clarice and Sérgio Assad, Augusta Read Thomas, Glenn Kotche, and chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird; and has taught tens of thousands of students through partnerships with Uniting Voices Chicago, The People’s Music School, the Chicago Park District, Rush Hour Concerts, Urban Gateways, Changing Worlds, and others.

The four members of Third Coast Percussion (Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore) met while studying percussion music at Northwestern University with Michael Burritt and James Ross, and formed the ensemble in 2005. Settling in Chicago, the four friends have carefully and thoughtfully built a thriving nonprofit organization – including full-time staff, office/studio space, and a board of directors – to support their vision and facilitate their efforts to bring new works to life. Members of Third Coast also hold degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Rutgers University, the New England Conservatory, and the Yale School of Music.

Stay up-to-date and go behind-the-scenes by following Third Coast on Instagram (@ThirdCoastPercussion), YouTube (@thirdcoastpercussion), TikTok (@thirdcoastpercussion), Twitter (@ThirdCoastPerc), and Facebook (@Third Coast Percussion).

*Photo Credit: Stephanie Berger Photography

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