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The acclaimed percussion ensemble Tambuco makes its Utah debut next week, first opening the Virtuoso Series at the University of Utah's Libby Gardner Concert Hall and then traveling to Cedar City.
The quartet, which formed in 1993, takes its name from a composition by 20th-century Mexican composer Carlos Chávez. Initially the musicians intended the moniker (a percussive-sounding play on tambor, the Spanish word for drum) as a tribute to Chávez, a key figure in the development of the percussion repertoire, said artistic director Ricardo Gallardo in an interview from his Mexico City home.
They decided it was a perfect fit after learning of a city in the Philippines, now known as Julita but formerly called Tambuco, which means "point of departure" in Tagalog.
"We think of Tambuco as a point of departure," Gallardo said. "We use music as a vehicle to develop a collaboration and encounter of cultures."
The group's concerts are "full of new ideas mixed with very old instruments, new and old ways of playing," he said. "It's very diverse in styles, ideas and musical languages."
For example, Tambuco's repertoire includes a piece by British composer Paul Barker in which each of the four musicians creates music using a pair of rocks. "Any object that sounds could be a musical instrument," Gallardo said. "It depends on the imagination and creativity of the composer and performer."
The program will include several pieces written especially for the group, as Tambuco is active in commissioning works by composers "from all ages and nationalities," Gallardo said. "It's important to find pieces that suit us very well because repertoire is like clothes — they have to suit you because they tell who you are."
Tambuco's visit also will include master classes and clinics with percussion students in Salt Lake City and Cedar City. "It's important to play concerts and show the music in all different languages to audiences," Gallardo said, "but it's also important to work with students and leave something else — like planting seeds."
"I'm really jonesing to see them," said Utah Symphony principal percussionist George Brown. He heard Tambuco play to an enthusiastic reception at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and later lobbied to bring the quartet to Salt Lake City. "I'm glad to be a part of the U.S. finally catching up to what Asia and Europe have known about for years."
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Percussion power
P Mexico-based percussion ensemble Tambuco will give two performances in Utah.
Where • Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
When • Monday, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets • $25 general admission; $5 for students; http://www.kingsburyhall.org or 801-581-7100.
Also • Thorley Hall at Southern Utah University, 351 W. Center St., Cedar City, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 7:30 p.m.; free.