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CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FOR PERCUSSION

Percussion has always felt to me like a boundless landscape — a world of color, resonance, and physical energy. This page gathers my contemporary music for percussion across solo works, ensemble pieces, chamber combinations, and stage music. Performers and teachers will find repertoire that explores the instrument’s expressive range, from intimate textures to bold, theatrical gestures.

Contemporary Music for Percussion

Modern percussion repertoire has expanded dramatically over the past century, with composers exploring new sounds, extended techniques, and innovative instrument combinations. My works for percussion reflect this evolution, offering pieces that range from unaccompanied solos to large ensemble settings. The sections below present my contributions to the percussion repertoire across solo, chamber, ensemble, and theatrical contexts.

 

UNACCOMPANIED PERCUSSION

unaccompanied


Rosewood Staircase
6' | marimba solo
 

PERCUSSON ENSEMBLE

p. ensemble


Signals
for percussion ensemble
11' | percussion (4 players) and piano / celeste (one player)
​

CHAMBER MUSIC FOR PERCUSSION

CHAMBER MUSIC


Frozen Junctions
13' | vibraphone, viola and piano
​

V5 – Quintet for Vibraphone and String Quartet
for vibraphone and string quartet
17' | vibraphone, violins (2), viola and cello
 

PERCUSSION CONCERTO

concerto


…of weaving the shadowed waves
for two marimbas and chamber orchestra
7'30" | 2 marimbas (soli), 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings (6,5,4,3,1)
 

VOCAL MUSIC WITH percssion

PERCUSSION AND VOICE


Dialogues
for soprano and percussion
11' | soprano and percussion
 

Bestiarius (The Book of Monsters and Creatures)
for alto/mezzo-soprano and ensemble
11' | alto / mezzo-soprano, flute / piccolo, clarinet, bassoon, violin, percussion (2), harpsichord
 

PERCUSSION WITH ENSEMBLE

CHAMBER MUSIC


After a Tango
for chamber ensemble
16' | recorders (3), clarinet, trumpet, trombone, guitar, percussion, violin, double bass​
 

Elegy to the Future
for Pierrot ensemble
13' | piccolo / alto flute; clarinet; violin; cello; percussion; piano
 

Flashes of Decay
for chamber ensemble
12' | flute / piccolo; English horn; clarinet / bass clarinet; horn; tuba; percussion (2); harp; piano
 

Quicksand
for Pierrot ensemble
11' | bass clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano
 

Sextet
for Pierrot ensemble
22' | flute / piccolo/bass flute, clarinet / bass clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano
 

Three Episodes for Chamber Ensemble
for chamber ensemble
12' | flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, percussion (1), piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass
 

STAGE MUSIC WITH PERCUSSION

STAGE MUSIC WITH percussin


Gitz & Spitz 
for actor and chamber ensemble
50' | actor; clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon; horn; trumpet; trombone, tuba and percussion (1)
 

The Little Mermaid
for actress and chamber ensemble / chamber orchestra
36' | actress, flute / piccolo, clarinet, percussion (1), two pianos and string quintet
OR
actress, flute / piccolo, clarinet, percussion (1), two pianos and string section
 

Sheet Music for Percussion:

About Contemporary Percussion Repertoire

The percussion repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries has grown into one of the most diverse and innovative bodies of work in contemporary music. The list below highlights influential pieces for solo percussion, percussion ensemble, chamber settings, and percussion with orchestra — works that have shaped the modern identity of the instrument. This curated selection is offered as a resource for performers and teachers exploring contemporary percussion music, alongside my own works for the instrument.

Key 20th–21st Century Percussion Repertoire

  • Edgard Varèse: Ionisation (1931) – Percussion Ensemble

  • Henry Cowell: Ostinato Pianissimo (1934) – Percussion Ensemble

  • John Cage: Third Construction (1941) – Percussion Ensemble

  • Carlos Chávez: Toccata (1942) – Percussion Ensemble

  • Elliott Carter: Eight Pieces for Four Timpani (1949–1966) – Solo Timpani

  • Karlheinz Stockhausen: Zyklus (1959) – Solo Percussion

  • Lou Harrison: Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra (1959) – Violin and Percussion

  • William Kraft: French Suite (1962) – Solo Percussion

  • Helmut Lachenmann: Intérieur I (1965) – Solo Percussion

  • Iannis Xenakis: Persephassa (1969) – Percussion Sextet

  • James Tenney: Koan (1971) – Solo Percussion

  • Steve Reich: Drumming (1971) – Percussion Ensemble

  • Iannis Xenakis: Psappha (1975) – Solo Percussion

  • William Cahn: Raga No. 1 (1975) – Solo Timpani

  • Christopher Rouse: Ogoun Badagris (1976) – Percussion Ensemble

  • Jo Kondo: Under the Umbrella (1976) – Percussion Ensemble

  • Michael Colgrass: Déjà Vu (1978) – Percussion Quartet and Orchestra

  • Gérard Grisey: Tempus ex Machina (1979) – Percussion Sextet

  • Toru Takemitsu: Rain Tree (1981) – Percussion Trio

  • Minoru Miki: Marimba Spiritual (1984) – Solo Marimba and Percussion Trio

  • Franco Donatoni: Omar (1985) – Solo Vibraphone

  • George Crumb: Idyll for the Misbegotten (1986) – Amplified Flute and Percussion

  • Tania León: A la Par (1986) – Piano and Percussion

  • Jacob Druckman: Reflections on the Nature of Water (1986) – Solo Marimba

  • Per Nørgård: Arabesques (1987) – Solo Percussion

  • Iannis Xenakis: Rebonds A/B (1987–1989) – Solo Percussion

  • Brian Ferneyhough: Bone Alphabet (1991) – Solo Percussion

  • David Lang: The Anvil Chorus (1991) – Solo Percussion

  • Harrison Birtwistle: For O, for O, the Hobby-Horse is Forgot (1993) – Percussion Ensemble

  • Joseph Schwantner: Percussion Concerto (1994) – Solo Percussion and Orchestra

  • Kaija Saariaho: Six Japanese Gardens (1994) – Solo Percussion and Electronics

  • John Luther Adams: Strange and Sacred Noise (1997) – Percussion Quartet

  • Mark Applebaum: Straitjacket (2000) – Percussion and Electronics

  • Philip Glass: Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists (2000) – Two Timpani and Orchestra

  • David Lang: The So-Called Laws of Nature (2002) – Percussion Quartet

  • Unsuk Chin: Double Concerto (2002) – Piano, Percussion, and Orchestra

  • Jennifer Higdon: Percussion Concerto (2005) – Solo Percussion and Orchestra

  • Steve Reich: Mallet Quartet (2009) – Two Marimbas and Two Vibraphones

  • Augusta Read Thomas: Resounding Earth (2012) – Percussion Quartet (Bells)

  • Lior Navok: Signals (2017) – Percussion and Piano/Celesta

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