Dominic Donato
MUSIC FOR TAMTAMS My interest in tamtams began when, while a young
student at Stony Brook University, I stumbled upon a recording of
Karlheinz Stockhausen's Mikrophonie I in the Music Library. I had never
heard anything quite like it and that recording opened my eyes and ears
to the possibilities of music in general and tamtams specifically. It
wasn't until years later, as a member of Talujon, that I began exploring the instrument seriously. The tamtam soon became my instrument of choice during our group improvisations.
In 2001 I decided to present a concert of all tamtam music which I
called TAMTAM I. This concert featured James Tenney's Having Never
Written a Note for Percussion and two versions of John Cage's One4
along with new pieces by Helen Lee and myself.
Since that concert
I've commissioned and performed a number of compositions featuring
tamtams from a number of very talented composers including Peter
Jarvis, Stuart Jones, Elizabeth Hoffman, Eric Moe, Steven Ricks and
Ushio Torikai. I've also written a number of pieces that feature
tamtam, most recently using the Electrix Repeater as a means to expand
the possibilities in live performance.
In 2006 I presented a
second concert of all tamtam music (TAMTAM II) which featured new works
by Jarvis, Jones, Ricks and myself as well as James Tenney's For
Percussion Perhaps, Or…(night).
My
first CD "Music for Tamtams - METALMORPHOSIS" has just been released. I
hope, with the CD to acquaint the listener with the enormous sonic
potential found in these most fascinating of instruments.
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DR.
DOMINIC DONATO is active as a percussion soloist, chamber musician,
composer and teacher. He is a member of the Talujon Percussion Quartet
and DoublePlay Percussion Duo and has performed throughout the United
States, Europe and Asia. In 2007 Dr. Donato was selected by Meet the
Composer as one of eight "Soloist Champions" in honor of his continuing
commitment to new music and the solo percussion repertoire. Dr. Donato
directs the Percussion Department and Contemporary Ensemble at the
Conservatory of Music, Purchase College, SUNY. 