GARDEN OF DELIGHTS,
my latest solo CD, is now available! Click the "Recordings" section above for more information, or click
HERE for ordering instructions!2008
I have to admit that I have been neglecting my website this past year but am happy to say that I’m looking forward to sharing with you my latest escapades since the beginning of 2008!
Most of my attention has been on my MySpace space so feel free to listen to some sound bites and to look at my latest schedule of events on that website which is www.myspace.com/beverleyjohnston .
Along with my usual busy teaching schedule at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto (which this past school year has included teaching of the percussion performance class and also coordinating the UofT Percussion Ensemble) I have also been busy with several interesting performances.
In later 2007, among other engagements, I was involved with performances with the Toronto Percussion Ensemble, Oriana Singers and the University of Toronto Percussion Ensemble. 2008 included a “Bev Johnston and Friends” at the Faculty of Music, a house concert at Michael Colgrass’ place. I performed Tan Dun’s Water Concerto with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and did the world premiere of the Diana McIntosh’s work, Prodigies of the Nose (CBC broadcast of this work is on September 13, 2008).
I was fortunate to be a part of the Cool Drummings festival again but this time, including some acting…another performance of my Snare Drama piece and also the speaking part in the powerful work Coming Together by Frederic Rzewski. This latter concert will be broadcast on CBC in the near future. Also, my students Adam Campbell, Michelle Colton and Jamie Drake were involved again with me in Alice Ho’s piece KAMI for solo marimba and Taiko drums on this concert.
The beginning of June was spent in Montreal working on a new project with the Blue Rider Ensemble. This project is based on Mary Shelley’s famous book Frankenstein. This is a long term project involving artists from many different disciplines and the final project will be mounted in a few years. I’ll keep you posted!!
July 21st and 22nd will be the continuation of the Toronto Percussion Ensemble recording the percussion works of Canadian composer, Michael Horwood.
August is another busy month with appearances at the Festival of the Sound on August 6th and August 10th. After that I will be the guest artist at Nebojsa Zivkovic’s 4th International Summer Academy for Marimba and Percussion. It has been a pleasure sharing ideas with the talented and inexhaustible Nebojsa. I’m looking forward to sharing our concert together in Germany in a castle on the Rhine on August 25th. It is there where I’ll be doing the world premiere of Christos Hatzis’ new work for marimba and CD playback called In the Fire of Conflict which includes the voice of rapper Bugsy H. from Detroit. This will be a powerful work and hopefully will be as popular as Christos’ former marimba and CD playback work called Fertility Rites!
And as if I haven’t had enough(!), I will be recording my 5th solo CD, this time for Centrediscs and the music will be all of Alice Ho’s music for solo percussion (Evolving Elements for string quartet and solo marimba, KAMI for solo marimba and taiko drums, a new theatre-based work for voice and percussion called Wolf Woman and Forest Rain for marimba and vibraphone solo). I will also be a part of Nancy Zeltsman’s marimba festival in Appleton Wisconsin in July of 2009. This appearance will include my participation in Nancy’s New Music Project which will include world premieres for solo marimba by some world famous composers. Please check this out on Nancy’s website www.nancyzeltsman.com . Hope all of you have an amazing summer and fall!
BEV .