Slawomir Mscisz | Katarzyna Myćka | Raphael Christen | Fumito Nunoya | Brian Zator
Marimba Festiva
Sławomir Mscisz
Homepage: „www.slawomir-mscisz.eu“
Slawomir Mscisz, Slawomir Mscisz, born in Poland’s southeastern town of Przeworsk, received his first drums and marimba training at the age of 16. He describes his studies in Krakow, Nuremberg, Wuerzburg and Amsterdam as groundbreaking and essential for the profession live. Mscisz is the winner of the Penderecki Competition in Krakow/ PL, IHK Competition in
Nuremberg /Germanys and the Mozart Competition in Nuremberg too. As a soloist and chamber musician he participated in numerous festival s, such as: Stevens Marimba Competition and Festival USA, Maggio Musicale de Florentino Italy, New Music Marathon Prague, Melos Etos Festival Bratislava.
His artistic career is reflected in the two CDs he recorded: “Bach 2003” with Cello Suites
an d Violine Sonata by Bach and “Marimba Classica” with Marimba ensemble pieces by Bohuslav Martinu and Camille Saint Saëns made in cooperation with Bavaria Broadcast BR Franken.
Slawomir Mscisz is the initiator and founder of the international Association Marimba Festiva with the aim of firmly anchoring marimba in classical, cultural and concert life. The most important part of this Idea are the International Marimba Festiva Congress and Competition, Seminars and Masterclasses, which will hold in many centers of Europa. His experience in the field of marimba dates back to 2006, where he helped shape the development of the first marimba competition as a juror and co organizer.Slawomir Mscisz with his activity as President of the Marimba Festiva Association constantly sets new impulses on the development path of the instrument. Together with numerous members of the Association, he creates the concept of events and concerts on the international stage . His vision is the further development of marimba playing culture and international cooperation.
Marimba Festiva
Katarzyna Mycka
Homepage: „www.marimbasolo.com“
… Critics have given the internationally renowned marimba virtuoso and chamber musician Mycka the sobriquet “she who dances with the mallets”: “the greatest fluidity”, “perfect mallet technique” and a “marvelous, rhythmic precision” are characteristic for the musician, who is able to simultaneously produce up to six tones on her concert marimba with the sixty narrow wooden bars and resonance pipes.
Expert circles testify to the “extraordinary ichness of tone quality” and “fascinatingly broad palette of musical effects” that the marimba, which is rarely heard as a solo instrument, produces under the whirling mallets of the musician from Stuttgart with Polish roots. Audiences are also enthralled by the artistic elegance and dance-like energy of her playing …
Performances as a soloist at the most important Marimba Festivals (Osaka 1998, Linz 2004, Minneapolis 2010) as well as soloist in many parts of the world with well-known orchestras (Stuttgart Philharmonic, Bochum and Göttingen Symphony, Polish Chamber Philharmonic Sopot, Vienna, Prague and Heilbronn Chamber Orchestra (WKO), Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Israeli, Maribor, Neubrandenburg and Vogtland Philharmonic, Folkwang Chamber Orchestra, RSO Luxembourg and various Polish symphony orchestras) make Katarzyna Mycka, today a leading pioneer of her still young instrument.
Marimba Festiva
Fumito Nunoya
Homepage: „www.fumitonunoya.com“
Fumito Nunoya Marimbist Fumito Nunoya is gaining recognition internationally as one of today’s leading marimbists. Born in Odate, Japan (a small city in Akita Prefecture), he currently lives in Kreis Herford, Germany. He actively performs in Germany and Japan as Adams Marimba Artist. An interview with Nunoya was the cover story of the May 2012 issue of Percussive Notes magazine. He has been described as “magnetic … impressive” (Houston Chronicle) and “agile and terrifically talented” (Boston Herald). His repertoire includes a range of solo and chamber works for marimba, as well as adaptations of Bach, Piazzolla, Japanese folk music, Ennio Morricone and more.
His solo marimba CD Red Dragonfly was called a “monumental CD” (Percussive Notes) and “an example of artistic music making at its highest level” (PAS—Florida Chapter newsletter). His second CD “The Sower,” in which he focused on Japanese pieces, was released in August 2013 from Octavia Records, Japan. In August 2016, Mr. Nunoya released two CDs (“Piazzolla on Marimba” and “Classics on Marimba”) from Oehms Classics, and the both CDs received special commendation awards from Record Geijutsu Magazine in Japan. In February 2019, he has relearsed his 5th CD „Concertos on Marimba,“ which received „Gouden Label“ awards from Klassiek Centraal Belgium and 5 Stars on BBC Music Magazine.
Nunoya gained considerable attention when he won Third Prize at the 3rd World Marimba Competition (held in Germany in 2002—one of the most prestigious marimba competitions worldwide). He also won top prizes at many other national and international competitions including First Prize at the Ima Hogg Young Artists Competition (2005, Houston, Texas—USA), First Prize at the 3rd Libertango International Competition (2009, centered on the music of Astor Piazzolla—Italy), and Second Prize at Percussive Arts Society International Marimba Competition (2003, USA).
Mr. Nunoya has presented numerous solo performances in the USA, Europe and Japan include Zeltsman Marimba Festival (USA and Amsterdam, the Netherlands); Keiko Abe Lausanne International Marimba Academy (Switzerland); Southern California Percussion Ensemble Festival and Berklee Percussion Festival (USA); and Central Japan Percussion Festival, Kansai Japan Percussion Festival, and Fukui Marimba Seminar (Japan.) He twice performed live on WGBH-Radio on “Classics in the Morning” hosted by Cathy Fuller from Boston, Massachusetts (USA).
Fumito Nunoya began playing the piano at age seven, and marimba and other percussion at age thirteen. He graduated from Yamagata University (Japan) with a degree in Music Education, and Master of Music and Artist Diploma degrees in marimba performance from The Boston Conservatory (USA). He was the first marimba (or percussion) major in the school’s history to receive the later distinction (on full scholarship).
His teachers include marimbists Nancy Zeltsman and Nanae Mimura, and percussionists Patrick Hollenbeck and Tomoyuki Okada. In addition, he studied the marimba with pianists including Dr. Karl Paulnack, Professor Etsuko Okazaki and Kiyomi Takeda who also deeply influenced his music making. Mr. Nunoya has taught marimba at the Hochshule für Musik Detmold in Germany since 2009 and taught the marimba at Kyoto City University of Arts in Japan from 2015 until 2018. In September 2015, he was appointed as a sightseeing ambassador of Odate, his hometown.
Marimba Festiva
Raphael Christen
Homepage: „www.raphael-christen.ch/“
Raphael Christen His flawless technique and his heartfelt musicality make him a world-class marimbist: today Raphael Christen can be described as one of the most versatile masters of his instrument. His concert activities underscore this: Raphael Christen is internationally amongst the very busiest marimbists. He is a solo musician, chamber musician, orchestra musician and guest soloist in a multitude of ensembles and formations. Raphael Christen concluded percussion studies with Erwin Bucher at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts with distinction (major subject maximum mark 6.0) in 1994. In addition, he attended marimbaphone master’s courses with well-known marimbists (amongst others: Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic, David Brown) and with percussionist Pierre Favre. For two years he studied at the Toho School of Music in Tokyo under the auspices of world-famous marimbist Keiko Abe. He subsequently studied baroque music with Peter Solomon at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The musician and music docent says the following about Raphael Christen: “With great success he has understood how to constantly redefine the limits of his instrument and to develop a new repertoire.”
Appearances led him, amongst other things, to the Lucerne Culture & Congress Centre Salle Blanche, the Stravinsky Auditorium in Montreux, the Hercules Hall in Munich and to Luxembourg, Dubai or Japan.Current formations in the realm of chamber music are the Duo Synthesis and the QuaDrums percussion quartet. Synthesis combines marimba and euphonium (played by world-class musician Thomas Rüedi) into a unique duo sound. In the QuaDrums Ensemble, Raphael Christen and three other percussionists impress the audience with a breathtaking mixture of multicultural folklore and contemporary percussion music.In recent years, about 30 live recordings with Raphael Christen have been published on CDs and have also been broadcast in productions for radio and television.The solo CD “Dances With Marimba”» (2000), the album “Folk Songs” by the QuaDrums Ensemble (2002) and the album “Synthesis” by the duo of the same name (2006) are particularly noteworthy.
Raphael Christen also proves his versatility as docent and teacher. Amongst other things, he successfully teaches at music academies and gives master’s courses for marimbaphone.
Marimba Festiva
Brian Zator
Homepage: „www.brianzator.com“
Brian Zator, is the Director of Percussion at Texas A&M University-Commerce and Immediate Past-President of the Percussive Arts Society. At A&M-Commerce, he coordinates all percussion activities including Percussion Ensemble I, II, & III, Drumline, „Panimation“ and Pan2 Steel Drum Bands, “Samba LeÁ£o” Brazilian Ensemble, undergraduate and graduate applied lessons, and the percussion methods and literature courses. He earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baylor University, Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas. He is also a student of world-renowned marimba artist, Keiko Abe, having performed and studied with her in Japan.
Brian Zator has two solo CD’s released on Equilibrium Records: “Zamiki: Music for Solo Marimba” and a chamber-works CD entitled, “Zoomorphs”. He is the author of the method book, „Keyboard Fundamentals with Play-Along Tracks“, published by Innovative Percussion. He is also the author and performer on several iBook publications providing detailed video instructions and full-length performances for popular marimba solos including Yellow After the Rain, Rain Dance, Sea Refractions, and The Tempest. He was a member of The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps and taught the University of Michigan drumline. Active within the Percussive Arts Society (PAS), he currently serves as Immediate Past-President on the Executive Committee and Keyboard Editor for Percussive Notes. He has also served on the PAS Board of Directors, the Keyboard and Percussion Ensemble Committees, written reviews for Percussive Notes, and has adjudicated the PAS International Percussion Ensemble, Composition, and Solo Marimba competitions. Dr. Zator is proud to be a performing artist and clinician for Innovative Percussion, Evans, Sabian, and Black Swamp.
Sławomir Mscisz
Homepage: „www.slawomir-mscisz.eu“
Slawomir Mscisz, Slawomir Mscisz, born in Poland’s southeastern town of Przeworsk, received his first drums and marimba training at the age of 16. He describes his studies in Krakow, Nuremberg, Wuerzburg and Amsterdam as groundbreaking and essential for the profession live. Mscisz is the winner of the Penderecki Competition in Krakow/ PL, IHK Competition in
Nuremberg /Germanys and the Mozart Competition in Nuremberg too. As a soloist and chamber musician he participated in numerous festival s, such as: Stevens Marimba Competition and Festival USA, Maggio Musicale de Florentino Italy, New Music Marathon Prague, Melos Etos Festival Bratislava.
His artistic career is reflected in the two CDs he recorded: “Bach 2003” with Cello Suites
an d Violine Sonata by Bach and “Marimba Classica” with Marimba ensemble pieces by Bohuslav Martinu and Camille Saint Saëns made in cooperation with Bavaria Broadcast BR Franken.
Slawomir Mscisz is the initiator and founder of the international Association Marimba Festiva with the aim of firmly anchoring marimba in classical, cultural and concert life. The most important part of this Idea are the International Marimba Festiva Congress and Competition, Seminars and Masterclasses, which will hold in many centers of Europa. His experience in the field of marimba dates back to 2006, where he helped shape the development of the first marimba competition as a juror and co organizer.Slawomir Mscisz with his activity as President of the Marimba Festiva Association constantly sets new impulses on the development path of the instrument. Together with numerous members of the Association, he creates the concept of events and concerts on the international stage . His vision is the further development of marimba playing culture and international cooperation.
Marimba Festiva
Katarzyna Mycka
Homepage: „www.marimbasolo.com“
… Critics have given the internationally renowned marimba virtuoso and chamber musician Mycka the sobriquet “she who dances with the mallets”: “the greatest fluidity”, “perfect mallet technique” and a “marvelous, rhythmic precision” are characteristic for the musician, who is able to simultaneously produce up to six tones on her concert marimba with the sixty narrow wooden bars and resonance pipes.
Expert circles testify to the “extraordinary ichness of tone quality” and “fascinatingly broad palette of musical effects” that the marimba, which is rarely heard as a solo instrument, produces under the whirling mallets of the musician from Stuttgart with Polish roots. Audiences are also enthralled by the artistic elegance and dance-like energy of her playing …
Performances as a soloist at the most important Marimba Festivals (Osaka 1998, Linz 2004, Minneapolis 2010) as well as soloist in many parts of the world with well-known orchestras (Stuttgart Philharmonic, Bochum and Göttingen Symphony, Polish Chamber Philharmonic Sopot, Vienna, Prague and Heilbronn Chamber Orchestra (WKO), Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Israeli, Maribor, Neubrandenburg and Vogtland Philharmonic, Folkwang Chamber Orchestra, RSO Luxembourg and various Polish symphony orchestras) make Katarzyna Mycka, today a leading pioneer of her still young instrument.
Marimba Festiva
Fumito Nunoya
Homepage: „www.fumitonunoya.com“
Fumito Nunoya Marimbist Fumito Nunoya is gaining recognition internationally as one of today’s leading marimbists. Born in Odate, Japan (a small city in Akita Prefecture), he currently lives in Kreis Herford, Germany. He actively performs in Germany and Japan as Adams Marimba Artist. An interview with Nunoya was the cover story of the May 2012 issue of Percussive Notes magazine. He has been described as “magnetic … impressive” (Houston Chronicle) and “agile and terrifically talented” (Boston Herald). His repertoire includes a range of solo and chamber works for marimba, as well as adaptations of Bach, Piazzolla, Japanese folk music, Ennio Morricone and more.
His solo marimba CD Red Dragonfly was called a “monumental CD” (Percussive Notes) and “an example of artistic music making at its highest level” (PAS—Florida Chapter newsletter). His second CD “The Sower,” in which he focused on Japanese pieces, was released in August 2013 from Octavia Records, Japan. In August 2016, Mr. Nunoya released two CDs (“Piazzolla on Marimba” and “Classics on Marimba”) from Oehms Classics, and the both CDs received special commendation awards from Record Geijutsu Magazine in Japan. In February 2019, he has relearsed his 5th CD „Concertos on Marimba,“ which received „Gouden Label“ awards from Klassiek Centraal Belgium and 5 Stars on BBC Music Magazine.
Nunoya gained considerable attention when he won Third Prize at the 3rd World Marimba Competition (held in Germany in 2002—one of the most prestigious marimba competitions worldwide). He also won top prizes at many other national and international competitions including First Prize at the Ima Hogg Young Artists Competition (2005, Houston, Texas—USA), First Prize at the 3rd Libertango International Competition (2009, centered on the music of Astor Piazzolla—Italy), and Second Prize at Percussive Arts Society International Marimba Competition (2003, USA).
Mr. Nunoya has presented numerous solo performances in the USA, Europe and Japan include Zeltsman Marimba Festival (USA and Amsterdam, the Netherlands); Keiko Abe Lausanne International Marimba Academy (Switzerland); Southern California Percussion Ensemble Festival and Berklee Percussion Festival (USA); and Central Japan Percussion Festival, Kansai Japan Percussion Festival, and Fukui Marimba Seminar (Japan.) He twice performed live on WGBH-Radio on “Classics in the Morning” hosted by Cathy Fuller from Boston, Massachusetts (USA).
Fumito Nunoya began playing the piano at age seven, and marimba and other percussion at age thirteen. He graduated from Yamagata University (Japan) with a degree in Music Education, and Master of Music and Artist Diploma degrees in marimba performance from The Boston Conservatory (USA). He was the first marimba (or percussion) major in the school’s history to receive the later distinction (on full scholarship).
His teachers include marimbists Nancy Zeltsman and Nanae Mimura, and percussionists Patrick Hollenbeck and Tomoyuki Okada. In addition, he studied the marimba with pianists including Dr. Karl Paulnack, Professor Etsuko Okazaki and Kiyomi Takeda who also deeply influenced his music making. Mr. Nunoya has taught marimba at the Hochshule für Musik Detmold in Germany since 2009 and taught the marimba at Kyoto City University of Arts in Japan from 2015 until 2018. In September 2015, he was appointed as a sightseeing ambassador of Odate, his hometown.
Marimba Festiva
Raphael Christen
Homepage: „www.raphael-christen.ch/“
Raphael Christen His flawless technique and his heartfelt musicality make him a world-class marimbist: today Raphael Christen can be described as one of the most versatile masters of his instrument. His concert activities underscore this: Raphael Christen is internationally amongst the very busiest marimbists. He is a solo musician, chamber musician, orchestra musician and guest soloist in a multitude of ensembles and formations. Raphael Christen concluded percussion studies with Erwin Bucher at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts with distinction (major subject maximum mark 6.0) in 1994. In addition, he attended marimbaphone master’s courses with well-known marimbists (amongst others: Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic, David Brown) and with percussionist Pierre Favre. For two years he studied at the Toho School of Music in Tokyo under the auspices of world-famous marimbist Keiko Abe. He subsequently studied baroque music with Peter Solomon at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The musician and music docent says the following about Raphael Christen: “With great success he has understood how to constantly redefine the limits of his instrument and to develop a new repertoire.”
Appearances led him, amongst other things, to the Lucerne Culture & Congress Centre Salle Blanche, the Stravinsky Auditorium in Montreux, the Hercules Hall in Munich and to Luxembourg, Dubai or Japan.Current formations in the realm of chamber music are the Duo Synthesis and the QuaDrums percussion quartet. Synthesis combines marimba and euphonium (played by world-class musician Thomas Rüedi) into a unique duo sound. In the QuaDrums Ensemble, Raphael Christen and three other percussionists impress the audience with a breathtaking mixture of multicultural folklore and contemporary percussion music.In recent years, about 30 live recordings with Raphael Christen have been published on CDs and have also been broadcast in productions for radio and television.The solo CD “Dances With Marimba”» (2000), the album “Folk Songs” by the QuaDrums Ensemble (2002) and the album “Synthesis” by the duo of the same name (2006) are particularly noteworthy.
Raphael Christen also proves his versatility as docent and teacher. Amongst other things, he successfully teaches at music academies and gives master’s courses for marimbaphone.
