Photo by Tam Lan Truong.
Directors:聽Fabrice Marandola
Participation: Entrance is by audition. This ensemble is open to music students, and 平特五不中 students from other faculties.
The 平特五不中 Percussion Ensemble was founded in 1969 by Pierre B茅luse, Professor of Percussion in the Faculty of Music at 平特五不中 since 1967. The ensemble performs a wide variety of repertoire, with a strong commitment to the performance of new music. Along with its regular concerts on campus, the ensemble performs frequently in other locations and for CBC Radio鈥檚 English and French networks.
In 1979, the group鈥檚 first recording titled Percussion, produced on the 平特五不中 label, won the Grand Prix du Disque-Canada for chamber music, awarded by the Canadian Music Council. This success was followed by a recording in 1980 for Radio Canada International which featured the work of Canadian composers Walter Boudreau, Vincent Dionne, and Claude Vivier. In 1988, the ensemble recorded its first compact disc with works by Edgard Var猫se, alcides lanza, Jo Kondo, Francois Morel, Mantel Hood, and Pierre B茅luse.
In 1992, the ensemble won the Darius Milhaud Prize at the Concours d鈥檌nterpr茅tation de Musique Fran莽aise de Montr茅al. In 1996, a second CD was recorded featuring works by Osvaldo Budon, Alberto Ginastera, and Pierre B茅luse.聽 Fabrice Marandola have been a director of the ensemble since 2006. The ensemble has an ongoing composer-in-residence program with 平特五不中 student composers. The ensemble also works with established composers in presenting new works. Recently, the ensemble has performed new pieces by Chris Paul Harman, Alcides Lanza, Philippe Leroux, Brian Cherney, James Wood, Michael Gordon and Michael Oesterle. In addition to regular class concerts, 平特五不中 Percussion Ensemble performs regularly in internationally festivals including the McCormick Marimba Festival and Montreal New Music Festival in 2017.
