Two Percussion Students Perform Inuksuit with the Award-winning Composer

Earlier in September, Resident Artist Christopher Swist and Music Lecturer Amy Garapic invited two percussion students, Jeremiah Burr and Carey Citak to travel with them to Connecticut to participate in the performance of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit, for a benefit for Audubon Sharon.

Swist has been involved with Inuksuit for the past few years, having played on the New York City indoor premiere at the Park Ave. Armory (Feb. 20, 2011) and the NYC outdoor premiere at Morningside Park that same year. He also played on the recording for Cantaloupe Music, which made NPR Classical’s 10 Favorite Albums of 2013, the New York Times’ Favorite Classical Recordings of 2013, the Boston Globe’s Best Albums of 2013, and The New Yorker’s Notable Classical Recordings of 2013. Garapic directed, produced, and performed in the Connecticut performance, and John Luther Adams was there, presenting a very special educational opportunity for the Keene State music students.

“Because of it’s size, each performance of Inuksuit becomes a conference of percussion programs from the region.” Swist explained. “Jeremiah and Carey played alongside students and teachers from UMass-Amherst, The Hartt School, Bard Conservatory, Eastman, and Boston University. Several of these musicians had never performed Inuksuit before, so Jeremiah and Carey actually had the experience to help bring the performance together.”

“It is always gratifying in contemporary music to meet the living composer. … Aside from the obvious benefit of getting first-hand musical guidance, knowing the composer personally develops a higher level of intimacy between a performance and the notes on the page.”

What’s Inuksuit all about? Check out the trailer.