Percussion Instrument Festival: Nick Woud, Katarzyna Myćka, Aurélien Gignoux and more

30 November 2021, 1:00
Percussion Instrument Festival: Nick Woud, Katarzyna Myćka, Aurélien Gignoux and more

The International Biennial Percussion Instrument Festival returns to the Orlí Street Theatre, but only after three years due to last year’s pandemic situation. Students from music schools in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland will meet in Brno to exchange experiences. The event offers five concerts for the public over three days, a gala opening of a photographic exhibition and the opportunity to try out various percussion instruments as part of the “PerkuSeanse” project. Students are then invited to workshops with well-known percussionists.

The percussion instrument festival organised by the Faculty of Music of the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts Brno is a non-competitive meeting of percussionists, students of conservatories and music academies who get the opportunity to showcase their talent. Thanks to its dramaturgy, the festival is a unique event in the Czech Republic and aims to present percussion instruments as a unique element of contemporary music. An accompanying programme that may delight the audience this year is a gala opening of a photographic exhibition with a special performance by a jazz quartet. The event will take place from 3 to 5 December 2021 in Brno.

“For this year, we have recruited three first-class guests from abroad: timpanist Nick Woud from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Polish marimbist Katarzyna Myćka and rising European percussion star Aurélien Gignoux, a new member of Ensemble intercontemporain,” said the festival’s director Martin Opršál, introducing the programme in detail. “Photographer Patrick Marek will present a unique collection of photos of jazz drummers at the festival, which he will then donate to the JAMU Faculty of Music. I am also extremely happy that Czech percussion producers will showcase their production,” adds Opršál.

Photograph: Ema Torsová

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