JAMES M. DAVID, composer
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Ringing Rocks - Concerto for Marimba, Percussion Ensemble, and Live Electronics
2015 Consortium Commission

This fall I will continue my journey of re-imagining the traditional notion of the concerto.  As before, my new marimba concerto will seek to deeply explore the technical and sonic possibilities of the solo instrument.  As a secondary goal, I hope to continue my "Symphonic Percussion" concept that attempts to utilize the percussion ensemble in a manner that matches the breadth and power of the orchestra with the intimacy of chamber music.  

The title "Ringing Rocks" is derived from a current archaeological theory that the Stonehenge site was actually a giant ritualistic percussion instrument. The overall shape will involve an opening adagio exploring the remarkable tonal range of the marimba, followed by an electroacoustic cadenza that incorporates spontaneously generated granular soundscapes, and concluding with an intense and virtuosic toccata.

Please contact James.David@colostate.edu for further details.

Dr. Eric Hollenbeck, lead consortium organizer
Dr. Paul Vaillancourt, co-lead consortium member
Commission Details:
  • Membership limited to 5-7 ensembles
  • Cost: $200 per ensemble
  • Duration: 16-20 minutes
  • Difficulty: Solo Marimba - professional; Ensemble - collegiate
  • Instrumentation: 5-6 percussionists utilizing standard instruments available to university percussion studios
  • Electronics: stereo speakers, iPad or other iOS device (free app available via Apple App Store), USB or XLR condenser microphone
  • Completion Date: January 2016

Commission Benefits:
  • Complete set of bound score and parts with individually inscribed cover
  • Unlimited performance rights
  • Consortium members will have performance exclusivity through December 31, 2016
  • Composer will attend rehearsals and performances of consortium premieres pending travel funding and availability


Previous Concerti and Percussion Works

L'oiseau dans l'espace for solo saxophone and percussion ensemble 

Download perusal score
Shifting Cells for mallet quartet

View perusal score
From the Shaken Tower - Symphony for Percussion and Winds
  • Home
  • about
  • wind ensemble
    • Message from Arecibo
    • Flying Jewels
    • Urban Light
    • Troublesome Fire
    • Symphony no. 1
    • Ghosts of the Old Year
    • Call to Commitment
    • With Soul Serene
    • March Tumbao
    • Lookfar
    • Menlo Park, 1879
    • Zephyrus
    • Flexible Instrumentation
    • Heartland Verses
    • Swing Landscape
    • I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold
    • Concerto for Vibraphone
    • The Moorlands
    • Big Four on the River
    • All Dark Is Now No More
    • Temple's Grace
    • From the Shaken Tower
    • Two-Lane Blacktop
    • Sinfonietta no. 3
  • compositions
    • wind ensemble
    • clarinet >
      • all clarinet works
      • clarinet sonata
      • AUTO '66 - Clarinet Concerto
    • saxophone >
      • all saxophone works
      • Saxophone Sonata
      • L'oiseau dans l'espace
      • Saxophone/Percussion Double Quartet
    • trombone >
      • all trombone works
      • Trombone Sonata
      • Five American Dances
      • Song of the Valar
      • Bass Trombone Sonata
      • Partiels 2
      • Garden of the Gods
    • Other Brass Works >
      • Of Unsurpassed Heroes
      • Trumpet Sonata
    • Percussion >
      • The Dandelion
      • NOLA - BELA - SOWEGA
    • large ensemble >
      • Tin Lizzies on Old Fall River
      • LASCAUX
      • KAFKA - Sax Concerto
    • chamber ensemble >
      • Clarinet and Horn Trio
    • solo / electroacoustic
    • choral / vocal >
      • KUBLA KHAN
  • contact
  • Report Performance