#298 Ji Su Jung- Percussionist, Solo Artist, Educator and More!
Born in South Korea, she is a rarity in the world of percussion having begun her studies at the age of four. Her exceptional talent was recognized early on and led to recitals and concerto performances at such a young age that she needed a small platform to stand upon just to reach the keyboard of the instrument. That platform was soon left behind as her stature and musical voice matured and numerous solo performances ensued. In 2011, she came to the United States where she completed her undergraduate studies at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, thanks to a generous grant from The Brookby Foundation in Wisconsin, and later received her Masters and Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music under the tutelage of famed percussionist Robert van Sice.
Her exceptional potential quickly blossomed into professional success leading to concerto performances including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with Marin Alsop, Colorado Springs Philharmonic with JoAnn Falletta, Houston Symphony with Daniel Hege, the Aspen Festival Orchestra with Michael Stern, Grand Rapids Symphony with Marchelo Lehninger, the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra with Peter Oundjian, Boise Philharmonic with Eric Garcia, the Windsor Symphony in Canada with Robert Franz and the Romanian Symphony Orchestra. Miss Jung made her commercial recording debut this season at the invitation of Pulitzer prize winning composer, Kevin Puts performing his spectacular marimba concerto with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony for the Naxos label. Her recitals across America have also won over new audiences for the marimba and her appearance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C resulted in an unexpected invitation to join the faculty at The Peabody Institute. Ji Su has garnered numerous prizes in national and international competitions. She was the first percussionist in twenty six years to win the First Prize and the Audience Choice Award at the 2018 Ima Hogg Competition of the Houston Symphony and was a laureate in the International Marimba Competition in Linz, Austria in 2015. NPR radio host Fred Childs welcomed her as an artist in residence for his nationally syndicated program, Performance Today. During her week with him in Minneapolis, she performed many of the seminal pieces in the marimba repertoire introducing the instrument to listeners in every corner of the country. While in Minnesota, Jung’s concerts for children were highly successful reflecting her love for bringing classical music to young audiences. Ji Su has presented master classes at numerous conservatories and universities around the world including the Curtis Institute of Music, New York University’s Stienhardt School, The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and the Beijing Central Conservatory in China and she serves on the faculties of the Curtis Institute of Music as well as the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.
As the repertoire for marimba in mixed ensemble is growing rapidly, Miss Jung has become an active chamber musician alongside her solo concerts. Her first commercial chamber CD of Garth Neustadter’s Seaborne with The Percussion Collective is due for release in 2023. This all-star collection of young percussionists performs recitals and concertos in major concert venues around the world and she has been a core member since its inception. She has also appeared at the Yellow Barn and Norfolk Chamber Music Festivals where she performed with many of today’s greatest chamber musicians including legendary pianist Gilbert Kalish and Roger Tapping, formerly of the Takács String Quartet. Starting in the 2022-2023 season, Ji Su will join forces with luminary flutist Marina Piccinini to form a duo performing in both North America and Europe.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Johnny “Dandy” Rodriguez. John grew up in New York City at a time when it was the heart and soul of Latin Jazz in this country. In 1962 at 17 years old John earned a place playing Banjo’s in the Tito Puente Orchestra. This was the beginning of John’s career and of a life time association with the King of Latin Music, Tito Puente. John spent over 30 years with the Tito Puente Orchestra, also working with Tito Rodriguez from 1965 to 1968 and with Ray Barretto from 1970 until the end of 1972. John went on to form his successful ‘Tipica 73’ band in 1972, which he was with until 1979. Following this he went back to work with Tito Puente, playing alongside him until the time of his death in May 2000. Shortly after Tito’s death the Puente estate decided to stop any further performances under the Puente name. With dedication to their music and fans John got together with Jose Madera and Mitch Frohman and they formed the Latin Giants of Jazz. Under John’s leadership the band has released three albums which have been recognized internationally, staying on top-ten charts worldwide as well as receiving awards .
Over the course of his career, John has been recognized as one of the greatest players and innovators of Latin music. Working with Martin Cohen (the founder of Latin Percussion), John has opened many doors for Latin performers, spurring a recognizable change in Latin performers’ abilities to entertain in Europe and around the world. John continues to work tirelessly to promote Latin music and further its progression worldwide.
Happy Birthday to Little Johnny Rivero. Conguero, percussionist, producer, songwriter and bandleader Little Johnny has performed all over the U.S., Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Caribbean and the South Pacific. Born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, Rivero, as young boy, was drawn to Latin jazz and the sounds and rhythms of the rumbero players in the NYC area. At age 10, Johnny began practicing percussion and joined his school band. Soon after, he took dance lessons, which eventually led to performances on stage with the bands of the era at such famous venues as the Manhattan Center, the Colgate Garden, the Copacabana, and the Palladium. At age 14, Rivero joined Orquesta Colon, the youngest Latin band in New York City, and recorded two albums with them.
In 1973, Rivero moved to Puerto Rico with his parents, and joined La Sonora Ponceña in 1974. After playing bongos with them for a year and a half, he switched to congas, which rekindled the love he had with the instrument as a small child. Rivero attributes the rhythms and professional conduct he learned from Quique Lucca and his son, Papo Lucca, as qualities that have made him what he is today. During the 16 years Rivero played with La Sonora Ponceña, he traveled worldwide and made 18 highly respected albums with them. - Read more
Happy Birthday to Adam Hanson. Northwoods aka Adam Hanson is a drummer, guitar player, songwriter and producer from Massachusetts. Adam graduated from Berklee College of Music and has since spent his professional years based out of Los Angeles. Since working in LA he’s spent as much time in the studio as the stage. Some of the artists Adam has worked with include David Ryan Harris of the John Mayer band, Anthony Ramos, JP Saxe, Julia Michaels, Lennon Stella, Will Wells, Sean Mendes, Quinn Sullivan, Amie Miriello, Kevin Garrett, Badsnacks among others.
Adam has built his career off being a musician, however also ready for a challenge no matter what the call might be. He’s been everything from a drummer, tour manager, stage tech, multipurpose engineer, producer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, singer, production assistant, assistant engineer, and now artist. He’s been able tour nationally and internationally along with appearing on acclaimed shows such as Ellen, The Juno Awards, Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve and many more.
As much as Adam loves playing and working with other people on multiple projects, he now has something of his own. Northwoods, is a project started in the wake of the pandemic. Debut album “This Never Happened”, to be released May 6th, 2022!
Happy Birthday to James Williams. James Williams began his music career at the very young age of 6 years. It was in a local church in south Georgia, where his father was head pastor, that Williams would later develop his abilities while serving on the music ministry. Having participated in music programs offered during his public school education, James tested other instruments but settled on drums as his main interest. Later - when his family moved to Monterey, California - Williams joined the jazz band at Monterey High School. With the support of the Monterey Jazz Festival, he would receive his first international touring experiences and be set firmly on the path toward continued musical development. He began his collegiate studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and would later go on to complete his studies and receive his Bachelor and Master degrees from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp in Belgium.
Williams has toured North America, Europe and Asia regularly over the years performing at blockbuster festivals such as Bonnaroo, Fuji Rock Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Field Trip, PukkelPop, Umbria Jazz Festival, Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival, and the Tokyo Jazz Festival amongst many others. He’s made a career performing a wide variety of music with artists from across the globe spanning several genres. James has backed many artists including GRAMMY award winners and nominees Gary Burton, Burt Bacharach, George Duke, Patrice Rushen, Wynton Marsalis, Emily King, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Jewel, Talib Kweli and others both onstage and in the recording studio. Williams has also broadened his performance scope to include theater, having been an original cast member in the Off-Broadway, Off West End, and West End productions of "Bacharach Reimagined" in New York City and London afterward a collaborator with Antwerp's Theater De Spiegel in Belgium.
In 2021, Williams helped to launch Inspired By Berklee, a global collaborative project between Berklee College of Music and Inspired Education, a group of 64+ K-12 schools around the world. The main component of this partnership is to send Berklee artists to Inspired Education schools to enhance their current performing arts programs and ignite creativity in their students. Williams also guests occasionally as drum instructor in the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp's Jazz department.
James has recently toured with Europe’s TheColorGrey , Robin McKelle, Portland; North America’s Amos Lee, Emily King, Joey Dosik, and South Africa’s Tutu Poane. His playing can be heard on recent and upcoming releases from recording artists Cory Henry, Milo Meskens, TheColorGrey, Mooneye, Mizuho, and Emily King to name but a few.
Happy Birthday to Roland Dénes. Roland is the timpanist for the Budapest Festival Orchestra. Roland was born in Szolnok, in 1974. He started his music studies in his hometown, then continued them in Budapest under Gábor Madarassy. In 1989 he was admitted to the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music, where he studied with Oszkár Schwartz. In 1993 he won a prize at the National Percussion Competition and started his studies at the Franz Liszt College of Music, where he earned his degree in 1997. From 1996 until 2006 he was a member of the BM Duna Symphony Orchestra. As of 1998 he has been involved in the productions of the BFO. From 2009 he regularly gives master classes in Hungary (Franz Liszt Academy of Music, College of Music, Pécs) and abroad (University of Maryland, USA, Columbus, USA). As of 2011 he has been invited to work with foreign orchestras (Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Radio France). Since 2010 he has been an official representative of the Fromme Company in Vienna. He has been a regular guest artist at the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra since 2015.
Gig Alerts
The Stagecoach festival just released their new lineup.
This year’s Stagecoach Festival is happening in April 28-30, 2023. Passes for the festival will go on sale September 16 at 10 am on the festival website. The three-day event will also feature performances by Jon Pardi, Old Dominion, Brooks & Dunn, Riley Green, Gabby Barrett, Parker McCollum, Tyler Childers, ZZ Top, BRELAND, Turnpike Troubadours, Bryan Adams, Elle King, Morgan Wade, and many more. -Article
Ji Su has some upcoming gigs to check out.
Damon has some upcoming gigs as well.
The full roster of artists can be found HERE.
Iconic Recording
This week’s iconic recording is “Northern Lights”, by Eric Ewazen Performed by Ji Su, selected by Ji Su.
Music News
Drum Workshop has joined the Roland family of brands.
The founders Don Lombardi and John Good, along with CEO Chris Lombardi, will continue to drive innovation and focus on inspiring drummers everywhere while continuing in their roles leading DW Drums, Gretcsch Drums, Latin Percussion, Slingerland drums, and Pacific Drums as a stand-alone business within Roland Corporation.
Formed within days of each other in 1972, both Roland Corporation and Drum Workshop are celebrating 50 years of pushing the boundaries of innovation for drummers. We are looking forward to working together to unleash the next generation of breakthrough acoustic and electronic drums and percussion products.
The 100 Percenters Music Creative Advocates have POSTED SOME LINKS for people to be able to help out the water situation in Jackson, MS.
The Irish government is now paying 2,000 artists, musicians, writers, and performers a ‘basic income’ of €325 ($329) each week.
The plan for the Basic Income for Artists was originally announced back in January 2022. The Minister for Culture and Arts is spending around €25m ($23.3M) on the initiative. Over 9,000 people applied to join the program, with 2,000 accepted. Those who were accepted into the program were selected anonymously and at random. According to the BBC, musicians, and artists make up the bulk of recipients, who will receive the stipend for three years. -Article
Damon mentions the organization, Be An Arts Hero, to help push for a cabinet level position for the arts and culture in the USA.
You can hear the interview about Be An Arts Hero and more with co-founder, Matthew Lee Erlbach by CLICKING HERE.
Ji Su Interview
The song leading into the interivew is "The Köln Concert Part IIc" by Keith Jarrett. It was filmed at Power Station New England for the Vic Firth Sessions where Damon and Ji Su met back in April 2022.
Ji Su talks about her upbringing and exposure to many styles and genres of music.
The Cuban guitarist Manuel Barrueco did a transcription of the concert that fits well on the marimba.
Ji Su leaned piano, before marimba. She also played a little violin and then flute as well.
Ji Su grew up in South Korea and went to the Korean Arts High School, which was a three hour commute from her town.
Ji Su went to Peabody Institute for her undergraduate degree. She got her masters degree at Yale. She attended those schools after seeing a masterclass with (friend of the show) Robert Van Sice and wanting to study with him.
Ji Su talks about the difference in the Artist Diploma (which she received) and a doctorate degree.
Ji Su is a solo artist on marimba, a featured guest with orchestras and ensembles as well as being a member of The Percussion Collective.
She talks about her tricks for scheduling, and sleeping (or not).
Damon points out that caffeine blocks adenosine receptors in the brain.
Ji Su teaches at Peabody Institute, as well as, the Curtis Institute of Music. She talks about how she divides her time up between the universities as well as her touring and performing schedule.
Ji Su talks about the dilemma of traveling a bunch and not having living things (pets or plants).
Damon brings up the Korean weekly banana packs. South Korean supermarket, E-mart has been selling bananas in different ripeness stages in packets to allow consumers eat one fruit daily.
Ji Su talks about the Avery Fisher Career Grant she was the recipient of. She plans to use some of that money to commission new works, especially by female composers.
Ji Su talks a little about teaching for the future.
Ji Su’s life goals are to bring music (especially classical music) to underprivileged children, and to have a foundation to help facilitate that.
Ji Su picks the iconic recording for the week, "Northern Lights" by Eric Ewazen.
Ji Su uses Vic Firth sticks and mallets, Zildjian cymbals, Pearl drums, Adams percussion instruments.
Shout-out to friend of the show Robert Van Sice.
You can follow Ji Su on her Website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The song leading out of the interview is Northern Lights (posted above in the iconic recording), so here is the other video from the Vic Firth sessions, “Variations sur un thème de Scriabine Var. I, II, III” by Alexandre Tansman
