167 - Robert van Sice

Robert van Sice is considered one of the world’s foremost performers of contemporary music for marimba. In an effort to establish the instrument as a serious artistic vehicle, he has premiered over 100 works throughout the world. Four of the seminal works in the marimba repertoire were written for him: Peter Klatzow’s Dances of Earth and Fire, Alejandro Viñao’s Estudios de Frontera, Martin Bresnick’s double marimba concerto, Grace; and James Wood’s Spirit Festival with Lamentations. Spirit Festival is unique in introducing the newly developed quarter-tone marimba, an innovative instrument recalling the marimba’s ancient sonic routes while establishing new parameters for modern expressionism.



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0:00 Intro and Hello

2:23 Teaching and perfomring?  Nessasary to be both?

7:00 Job descriptions these days...  Some thoughts on the new generation of students 

11:55 Thoughts on  Keiko Abe?

13:55 How has marimba writing and performance changed?

22:25 Ben: quick on James Wood.  Your relationship with James Wood?

34:13 Podcast speed trivia

39:25 Developing your signature marimba and mallets. 

46:26 Laurel's master class with Mr. Van Sice...oh...13 years ago...?

49:30 How  education has changed higher-ed, for better and for worse.