A Note from Michael
I have been
fortunate to perform with some of New
York’s best ensembles over the past fifteen
years. In 1990, I founded the Talujon Percussion
Quartet. For 13 years, Talujon has performed classics and newly commissioned
works. It has been one of the best experiences of my life. David
Cossin, Dominic Donato and Tom Kolor are close friends and excellent
musicians. Talujon continues to be great fun. We have
commissioned such wonderful composers as Ralph Shapey, Julia Wolfe, Wayne
Peterson and Phil Kline. As a member of Talujon, I have presented
master classes at the Julliard School of Music, Queens
College, Manhattan School of
Music, Oregon State University at Eugene, San
Francisco State University, Ohio
State University, Pittsburgh University, Utah State University at Provo,
University of the Pacific and many other colleges, high schools and other
educational institutions across the United States. I always
enjoy meeting students and talking about unusual subjects both in and out
of music.
As a freelance
musician in New York, I have performed with the Lincoln Center Chamber
Music Society, Tan Dun, New York New Music Ensemble, New Music Consort,
Newband/Harry Partch Instrumentalism, BBC Symphony, Ensemble Suspeso, Steve
Reich Ensemble, Susan Botti Ensemble, Riverside Symphony, SEM Ensemble
and Modernworks.I have performed on over 25 recordings. I can be
heard on SONY Records with the BBC Symphony, Mode Records, Delos
International, Naxos Records, Albany Records, Tzadik Records, CRI Records
and Werzo Records. I have performed in Bogota, Columbia, Taiwan as
part of the Red Lantern Festival, Osaka Percussion Festival, Macau
International Music Festival with Tan Dun, David Brubeck Jazz Festival,
Chautauqua Institute, Lille Festival, International Festival de
Percussiones in Mexico City, Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard, Berlin
American Music Festival, Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors Festival, La Jolla
Chamber Music Festival, Muzik3 and a number of times at the Percussive Arts
Society International Convention. My television debut is set as a
performer, seen in the background of a few documentaries on the music of
Harry Partch and “Downtown” Composers. I also wrote music for the TV
series “Knots Landing”, which was a long time ago.
In 2004, I became a
full-time professor at the Aaron Copland School of Music at CUNY Queens College. I
am the Director of the Percussion Program and the Director the New Music
Ensemble. I am proud to be teaching at my alma mater. I also
teach as an adjunct at Montclair
State University
in New Jersey,
where I direct the Percussion Ensemble. I love working with all the
students. They are refreshing and teach me a lot. I have held
adjunct positions at Wagner College, Connecticut College, SUNY Westbury, LaGuardia Community
College and Bridgeport
University. I
am proud to say that students still call me up to say hello. I love
that. It is my favorite part of teaching.
As a soloist, I am
trying to combine two things I love: Hand drums and Contemporary
music. I started recording my first solo CD. I contacted many
composer friends and other composers that I admire. Many agreed to
write works for my hand drum collection. Composers chose single
instruments while others wrote for a combination of hand drums, some
wrote pieces with electronics, some with text. Some wrote pieces with the
traditional music in mind, some did their own thing. I am very
grateful for all their wonderful efforts. The composers
include Eric Moe, Arthur Kreiger, Mathew Rosenblum, Jason Eckard, David
Rakowski, Dominic Donato, David Cossin, Randy Gloss, Gene
Pritsker. It is an ongoing effort and I hope to produce a series of
CD’s with a few volumes of published works.
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Program Bio
Percussionist Michael
Lipsey has performed at festivals in Berlin,
Mexico City, Taipei, Macao, Tokyo, La Jolla, New York, Moscow, Bogota and Lille,
France.
Michael is the founding member of Talujon Percussion and has also
performed with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Tan Dun, Steve
Reich Ensemble, New York New Music Ensemble and Riverside Symphony.
He has recorded for Sony Records, Red Poppy
Records, Nonesuch, Albany, Capstone and Mode. As a
soloist, Michael Lipsey has performed on the Sonic Boom Festival in New York, Festival of the Arts in California
and at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Nashville. He
has given master classes at Juilliard School of Music, California School
of the Arts, Purchase College of Music, University
of Maryland at Baltimore and many universities around
the country. Michael has also worked with many musicians from
around the world. He has studied other musical languages and worked
with a diverse blend of musicians like Subash Chandran, Ganesh Kumar,
Glen Velez, Carlos Gomez, Antonio Hart and most recently he formed a duo
with percussionist
River
Guerguerian. He has received funding from the PSCUNY-36 Award for a
solo CD which was released in October, 2006. The music on the CD
contains recently commissioned works for solo hand drums and includes
composers Mathew Rosenblum, Arthur Kreiger, Eric Moe, Dominic Donato,
David Cossin and David Rakowski.
Michael is a
full-time professor at the Aaron Copland School of Music at CUNY Queens College. I
am the Director of the Percussion Program and the Director the New Music
Ensemble
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