duoJalal was honored to be chosen to showcase at Chamber Music America's Conference in January. duoJalal played to a full house of managers, presenters and musicians. The group then went into the studio the following weekend to record tracks for their upcoming CD. Stay tuned for the release date. Over the summer, the duo played concerts in Australia, Maine and Connecticut. Visit the duo at www.duoJalal.org.

Yousif is proud to announce the release of his new instructional DVD Advanced Frame Drum Techniques. The DVD covers contemporary Riq, Tar and Bodhran techniques including Glen Velez Fast Fingerings, Split Hand Technique, Snapping and the South Italian Triplet. Click here for more information.

"A Silk Road Journey" with bansuri flute player Steve Gorn played a wonderful concert in Philadelphia at the Psalm Salon in October. What a fantastic, and intimate, venue! The duo will also be featured at the American Museum of Natural History in April as part of the museum's Silk Road Exhibit.

The much anticipated CD by Stephan Said will be out in the Spring of 2010. This amazing band includes drummer Cindy Blackman (Lenny Kravitz), guitarist Kevin Hunter (Shanya Twain, Janet Jackson) and bassist George Mitchell. The CD is being produced by Hal Willner (Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Saturday Night Live). Stay tuned for release information.

ETHOS NEWS!

Recent Review:
“Ethos Percussion Group, a New York-based quartet of extraordinary musicians... played with equal subtlety and power... [They] gave Reich’s score a performance that was at once seamless and compelling.”
~Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 15, 2009

Our January 13, 2010 performance at the Players Theatre in New York’s West Village featured the world premiere of Caroline Malloneé’s "North South East West." This is the 27th work written especially for Ethos, and the latest world premiere in our ongoing New York concert series funded by the Jerome Foundation (eleven years and counting).

At the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in November Ethos launched a joint project with Bachovich Music designed to help many of these deserving pieces have a life in the percussion chamber music world beyond Ethos’ performances and recordings. The publishing project, titled “The Ethos Series,” features some of our favorite and most requested commissions, including works by Glen Velez, Wang Gouwei, and John LaBarbera; upcoming releases will include works by Michael Markus and Stefon Harris, among others. In addition to numerous performances throughout the country on Ethos’ touring programs, works written for the group have recently been heard on WNYC’s venerable New Sounds program and at concerts by the percussion ensembles of Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Michigan. A complete list of Ethos’ commissions may be found here.

Great reviews came in throughout the year for Ethos' new CD "Building". The CD features works written for Ethos by John Hollenbeck, Susie Ibarra, Robert Levin and Dafnis Prieto, and is available at CDBaby and iTunes.

“...This professional percussion quartet is known for superb performances and CDs, and Building does not disappoint... this recording is very clear, crisp and inspiring—particularly for definitive performances of contemporary percussion quartet music." ~Percussive Notes, October 2009

“The inventive Ethos Percussion Group has been together for about twenty years... they reward attention with performing excellence, precision, exotic variety and clever interplay. Recommended." ~Music and Vision, April 2009

“The Ethos Percussion Group’s release Building is a well-performed, attractive, and engaging collection of percussion music. The four musicians display ensemble virtuosity throughout each piece... In contrast to the Levin work, in which Ethos sounded like one superdrummer, "Claveteando" makes them sound like one impressive quartet.” ~Sequenza 21, March 2009

Among the many exciting projects planned for next season, one that stands out is our return to the Williams Center for the Arts at Lafayette College (Easton, PA). Ethos will maintain a year-round presence there through a visiting applied instructor position created for Yousif Sheronick. In addition, there will be a full group performance on the Williams Center concert series, and members of Ethos will also serve as guest artists on a program by the University Percussion Ensemble featuring newly published works from Bachovich Music’s “Ethos Series.” We are very excited by the breadth of this residency and how it will reflect our commitment to incorporating diverse global influences into contemporary chamber music performance and education.

Ethos ended last season with a performance at the US Library of Congress featuring two exceptional guest artists: Ghanaian gyil virtuoso Bernard Woma and master drummer M’Bemba Bangoura from Guinea’s Ballet Djoliba. The program demonstrated (and pushed to the limit!) the ensemble’s skills in classical and non-Western styles, with traditional music from West Africa and African-influenced landmark chamber works by Peter Garland, Steve Reich and Iannis Xenakis. The finale had the audience literally dancing on the stage with us. It was a tremendous way to end our 15th season as a nationally touring ensemble, and we look forward to future presentations of this unique concert event.