#126 Michael Compitello- Percussionist with the Collective, KU Percussion Faculty & More!
This week’s guest is Michael Compitello. He is a dynamic, “fast rising” (WQXR) percussionist active as a chamber musician, soloist, and teaching artist.
Michael is dedicated to both honoring his instrument’s most important repertoire and creating dynamic new art through collaborations with composers, performers, actors, and artists in all mediums. He has performed with Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Signal, Ensemble ACJW, and with members of the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Eighth Blackbird, and So Percussion, while appearing in diverse locations such as the Darmstadt Summer Course, the LA Phil’s Green Umbrella Series, June in Buffalo, Mostly Mozart, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.
Michael has worked with composers Helmut Lachenmann, Nicolaus A. Huber, David Lang, John Luther Adams, Alejandro Viñao, Marc Applebaum, and Martin Bresnick on premieres and performances of new chamber works. He also champions new and recent works for solo percussion in the US and abroad, organizing and participating in consortium commissions for works for solo percussion from composers such as Christopher Cerrone, Tonia Ko, Amy Beth Kirsten, James Wood, and David Crowell.
With cellist Hannah Collins as New Morse Code, Michael works to catalyze and champion the compelling works of young composers. Through long-term collaboration with colleagues such as Christopher Stark, Robert Honstein, Andy Akiho, Matthew Barnson Tonia Ko, Paul Kerekes, and Caroline Shaw, New Morse Code has created a singular and personal repertoire that reflects both their friends’ creative voices and their own perspectives.
New Morse Code's debut album Simplicity Itself was released in 2017 on New Focus Recordings. Praised as “an ebullient passage through pieces that each showcase the duo’s clarity of artistic vision and their near-perfect synchronicity," (I Care if You Listen) and "a flag of genuineness raised" (WQXR), Simplicity Itself was featured on Spotify's Top Classical of 2017 Playlist and WQXR's New Sounds. New Morse Code was a finalist in the 2014 Concert Artists Guild Competition and recipients of a 2015 Classical Commissioning Grant from Chamber Music America with composer Christopher Stark.
In addition to performing, New Morse Code has worked with composers and performers at universities across the country, the University of Kansas, Austin Peay State University, The Catholic University of America, and Cornell University, in addition to leading interactive performances at Community MusicWorks in Providence, the Geneva Music Festival, and Greenwood Music Camp. New Morse Code are Assistant Directors of the Avaloch Farm Music Institute, a residency program in Boscawen, New Hampshire designed to provide resources for performers and composers collaborating on new works.
As an orchestral musician, Michael has performed with the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Aspen Festival Orchestra, and with conductors Pierre Boulez, Marin Alsop, Reinbert de Leeuw, David Zinman, James Conlon, Brad Lubman, and Gustav Meier.
Damon mentions playing at the Greenwich Town Party over the weekend as well as heading back out on the road with Morgan James. Marcos will be in Waterbury, CT performing with Sammy Figueroa doing a Cal Tjader tribute concert on Friday the 31st and Sat June 1st, in Washington D.C. with the Carlos Henriquez Nonet.
The Educational Spotlight for this week…..
Summer chamber music programs at the Avaloch Farms Music Institute in New Hampshire. Michael will be up there teaching and they have a lot to offer, so check them out!
Iconic Recording for this week……..
“Thousand Finger Man” by Candido Camero. You can get more info on that track HERE.
Music News for this week……..
Polygram Entertainment, Universal Music Group’s film and television division, along with Capitol Music Group, Motown Records and Fulwell 73 announced that “Hitville: The Making of Motown” has been acquired by Showtime for release in North America with plans for a fall premiere, and Altitude for theatrical release in the UK and Ireland. The feature-length documentary chronicles the enormous success and enduring cultural impact of Motown Records, which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this September. Endeavor Content brokered both deals and represents the project worldwide. In addition to this forthcoming documentary, you can also check out “Standing in the Shadows of Motown”.
How to Add Hollywood Special Effects to Your Videos. With your smartphone, inexpensive software and a bit of cloth or paper, you can make your own “green screen” movies.
The best FX boxes to help with creative modulations in spicing up your loops and arrangements.
Why You Should Never Use Airport USB Charging Stations. Cybercriminals can modify those USB connections to install malware on your phone or download data without your knowledge.
According to a rumor from a Japanese Mac blog, Apple is exploring ways to allow audio signals to be transmitted to two separate Bluetooth devices for the iPhone 11.
According to a new court order, Dentsu Aegis must now return $18.5 million to fund embattled music festival Woodstock 50.
This is an article about when Hattie Webb broke into Pledgemusic’s offices and wouldn’t leave without some progress with being paid what was owed from the crowdfunding campaign.
This is the music leading into and out of the interview with Michael……
Michael is a member of the Percussion Collective and Damon got to see him perform with the group ay NYU with some of the Vic Firth people, including (friend of the show) Neil Larrivee. The members of the Collective are all former students of (friend of the show) Robert Van Sice.
Some of the piece Michael and Damon talk about, “The Seaborne”, can be seen below……
When Damon and Michael are talking about getting the right sounds for whatever piece is played, Damon mentions the “sound” from “that Whitney Houston song”. That sound is listed as P_Cowbell from the Roland TR-808 and the song is “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”.
Here’s an article that talks about some of the issues percussionists have to deal with.
Michael mentions the Sandbox percussion group and the Arx Duo that features members of the Collective.
Damon talks about the percussion family being divided into two main categories.
Michael spent time in Frankfurt Germany on a Fulbright Grant. He also attended The Peabody Institute.
Michael talks about reflective learning. Here is an in depth article on what that is and how it can help you (as well as ways to practice it).
Michael was fortunate enough to study with Norm Weinberg, who was the percussion professor at the University of Arizona for 20 years as well as Homero Cerón in high school, which helped him make the decision to head to Peabody for college.
One summer in high school, Michael studied at the Aspen Music Festival where he met Dr. Jonathan Haas of NYU.
In the Baltimore related section of this interview, Michael HAS seen “The Wire”. Also, he barely uses what is known as a Maryland staple, “Old Bay” Seasoning. Here is a brief history on that spice.
Michael did both his Masters and Doctorate studies at Yale University, following Robert Van Sice for further education.
Michael is Assistant Professor of Percussion at the University of Kansas. He previously taught at Cornell University and Mt. Holyoke College, and was Interim Lecturer in Percussion at UMass Amherst in the fall of 2012.
Michael talks about the importance of having musical summers whether it is in a drum corps or a summer “camp” situation.
You can follow Michael on his Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, and YouTube.
You can also check out his duo: New Morse Code.
Michael uses Vic Firth Drumsticks, Zildjian Cymbals, and Pearl Drums and Percussion as well as Adams Instruments, Black Swamp Percussion and shout-out to Bradley at Beetle percussion.
