In its original form, Wild Sound is a multimedia performance piece scored entirely for everyday objects and custom-made instruments conceived of by composer Glenn Kotche and created by Third Coast Percussion in collaboration with the College of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, where Third Coast Percussion is ensemble-in-residence. Many of the instruments are constructed on stage during the performance, with the sounds of construction integrated seamlessly into the performed sound of the piece.
The last movement of Wild Sound was written with keyboard percussion instruments in mind, and eventually custom electronic instruments using Arduino technology were created for the multimedia version of the piece. However, this movement works beautifully on marimbas, vibraphones, glockenspiel and crotales, and this is the version captured in this video.
Wild Sound was commissioned by the University of Notre Dame?s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center and the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program, with generous funding provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund. Additional support provided by The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra?s Liquid Music Series and the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw, Poland.
Chicago-based percussionist and composer Glenn Kotche has been called one of the most exciting, creative and promising composers and performers in modern music, receiving international attention for his "unfailing taste, technique and discipline" (Chicago Tribune). He has released four solo albums including his most recent Adventureland (Cantaloupe Music, 2014). Kotche has been commissioned by renowned ensembles and organizations including Kronos Quartet, The Silk Road Ensemble, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Eighth Blackbird, So Percussion, Third Coast Percussion, Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Rider, National Sawdust, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, Norway?s 1B1 String Orchestra, the Chicago Youth Symphony, Slagwerk Den Haag and Roomful of Teeth.
In addition to his work as a composer and percussionist, Kotche has played on over 90 records as drummer or percussionist in a wide range of genres. He is a member of the groundbreaking Chicago-based rock band Wilco since 2001. With Wilco, he has recorded six studio albums including the seminal Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and the Grammy-winning A Ghost is Born and garnered 5 Grammy nominations.
Hailed by The New Yorker as ?vibrant? and ?superb,? Grammy-nominated quartet Third Coast Percussion explores and expands the extraordinary sonic possibilities of the percussion repertoire, delivering exciting performances for audiences of all kinds. Formed in 2005, Third Coast Percussion has developed an international reputation with concerts and recordings of inspiring energy and subtle nuance.
These ?hard-grooving? musicians (New York Times) have become known for ground-breaking collaborations across a wide range of disciplines, including concerts and residency projects with engineers at the University of Notre Dame, architects at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, astronomers at the Adler Planetarium, and more. The ensemble has also designed free iPhone and iPad apps that allow audience members to create their own musical performances and take a deeper look at the music performed by Third Coast Percussion.
The members of Third Coast Percussion ?Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore?hold degrees in music performance from Northwestern University, the Yale School of Music, the Eastman School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and Rutgers University. Third Coast Percussion performs exclusively with Pearl/Adams Musical Instruments, Zildjian Cymbals, Remo Drumheads, and Vic Firth sticks and mallets.
