17TH ANNUAL IWU MARIMBA SEMINAR

June 16 - June 21, 2024

SEMINAR DATES/TIMES:

Activities will commence on Sunday night, June 16 and conclude at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 21.

View the Full Schedule  

General Information for Participants

ACTIVITIES

• Solo marimba recital by Leigh Howard Stevens on Monday, June 17 at 7:30 (admission included in seminar fee)
• Daily 3-hour sessions by Mr. Stevens covering all aspects of 4-mallet technique (stroke types, mechanics of movement, shifting, interval changing, one-handed rolls), and additional topics such as: practice techniques, the history of the marimba, bar acoustics, solo and ensemble literature, etc
• Daily 1-hour masterclasses led by Mr. Stevens in which Student Track participants have the opportunity to perform a marimba piece of their choice and receive coaching
• Daily 2-hour sessions led by Dr. Marc Wooldridge (IWU Professor of Percussion) reviewing the stroke techniques, and covering other topics such as musical interpretation, improvisation, etc
• Participation in daily 1-hour rehearsals of the IWU Seminar Marimba Orchestra led by Dr. Marc Wooldridge
• Social events: game-room night, bowling, etc
• Participation in concluding concert featuring IWU Marimba Orchestra and student soloists
• Opportunity to take a 1-hour private lesson with Mr. Stevens or Mr. Wooldridge (additional fee)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Dr. Marc Wooldridge
IWU Professor of Percussion
marc.wooldridge@indwes.edu
765-618-3018

Registration Online for the 2024 Marimba Seminar
Note: You will first be asked to set up an account with Iris which is the system we use to process our registrations.

Printable Registration

About Leigh Howard Stevens

Hailed by Time magazine as "the world's greatest classical marimbist," Leigh Howard Stevens' repertoire ranges from Renaissance music and the Preludes and Fugues of J. S. Bach to original marimba works written by contemporary composers expressly for him. Much of this unaccompanied literature was considered technically and musically impossible by one player until the development of Mr. Stevens' new system of four-mallet technique. Percussionists and marimbists worldwide have adopted his revolutionary approach and his book on the subject of four-mallet marimba technique, Method of Movement, has been translated into six languages.

Considered "revolutionary" at the time of development, many of Stevens' concepts and techniques are now used routinely by players and teachers around the world and, in fact, have become synonymous with contemporary marimba playing. This fresh approach to music-making on the marimba has greatly expanded the instrument's compositional possibilities, stimulated composer enthusiasm for the marimba's use in solo and chamber music and ultimately led to a series of more than thirty world premiere performances by Mr. Stevens. In addition to performing exclusively on an extended-range Malletech Marimba of his own design, Leigh Howard Stevens serves as a consultant and conducts educational masterclasses for Malletech. He taught for many years at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, where he was Professor of Marimba. He has been awarded four U.S. patents for marimba design. Mr. Stevens can be heard on past releases of the Delos, Musical Heritage Society, Musicmasters and CRI record labels, as well as current releases on Resonator Records.

Mr. Stevens can be heard on past releases of the Delos, Musical Heritage Society, Musicmasters and CRI record labels, as well as current releases on Resonator Records.