By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Anthony Di Sanza is one of nine percussionists headed to Bowling Green early next week to honor their mentor, master percussionist, composer and teacher Michael Udow, on the eve of his induction into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame.
Di Sanza, who will solo with the reunion of the percussion ensemble Galaxy, will be charged with bringing one of his instruments. Not a tambourine, or set of bells, or even a drum set – Di Anza will be hauling an instrument of Udow’s own creation, a lithophone made of granite. The bars pitched like a marimba weigh 300 pounds, and the stand to hold them is substantial.
He will be soloist on the premier of “Ancient Echoes” during the Galaxy concert Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. in Kobacker Hall on the BGSU campus. The public performance is free.
The ensemble will also perform the soundtrack to Udow’s film “Echoes of the Past” as the film is screened. The work was inspired by the burnt trees the composer observed in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Working with a photographer he took many photos of the trees. He then collaborated with an animator to turn the images into a film.
“Ancient Echoes” is also inspired by a discovery in another Colorado nature preserve, Great Sand Dunes National Park. During the pandemic, Udow saw a TV special about an archeologist who discovered large stones that had been used as musical instruments, probably for ceremonies, Udow said.
But almost anything about them is conjecture, he said. Using an electron microscope researchers can see that they are chipped and chiseled as if struck or scraped, consistent with their use as a percussion instrument.
Such instruments have been found around the world – Asia, Europe, South America.
Percussion’s deep global roots are part of its enduring appeal. It is music at once ancient and contemporary.
Diversity is reflected in percussion’s diversity of color and timbre, Udow said. And percussion comes from cultures around the world.
Even the way the sound is activated is varied. There are dozens of ways to elicit sound from percussion – variations on striking, rubbing, scrapping, shaking. “All kinds of motions to create just the right sound,” Udow said.
Udow began taking percussion lessons in fifth grade and in sixth grade joined the Wichita Youth Orchestra. It was the orchestra’s wide range of colors – not just in the percussion section, but the woodwinds, brass, and strings – that captivated him.
“I just fell in love with that sound,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to do in my life being involved in this sound.”
So, he pursued a career both as a performer and as a composer. Though known as a percussionist he has composed for the full range of instruments, including three operas. Since his retirement in 2011 and relocation to Colorado, he has written more for other instruments.
He writes different versions of the same piece for different instrumentations. “Ancient Echoes” was premiered in April in its orchestral setting, he noted, also with Di Sanza as the soloist.
“I find composing for various orchestrations of one composition to be a very engaging and highly introspective process,” he said. “One has to consider the various instruments and ensemble to create a cohesive sound. It’s quite a challenge, and I love that challenge.”
He taught percussion for many years at the University of Michigan. Most of those participating in the BGSU gathering studied with him either as undergraduates or graduates,
Dan Piccolo, professor of percussion at BGSU, studied with Udow when he was an undergraduate at Michigan. He wrote: “Dr. Udow is a remarkable artist and pedagogue, and he had a tremendous influence on me as a young musician!”
He was honored to be asked to perform with in the Galaxy reunion.
Galaxy, Udow said, he formed in the 1980s at the behest of Japanese marimba soloist Keiko Abe to tour with her in Japan and perform her compositions.
Several of the original members will be in the ensemble at BGSU. They include Di Sanza, Payton MacDonald, and Roger Braun. Joining them will be Piccolo, Shoko Araya, Gramley, Renee Keller, and Takako Nakama. The ensemble will also perform his piece “Lightning” featuring Pius Cheung on marimba as well as compositions by Araya and Di Sanza. In addition to Galaxy, the University percussion ensemble will play Udow’s seminal “Timbarck Quartet”
Piccolo arranged for Udow and the ensemble to assemble at BGSU to prepare for the Indianapolis concert on Wednesday.
While here Udow will also offer master classes for student percussionists and composers.
Then he and the ensemble will head to Indianapolis where they will perform and Udow will be honored for his life’s work as a performer, composer, and teacher.
