Third Coast Percussion is a Grammy Award-winning American

percussion ensemble A percussion ensemble is a musical ensemble consisting of only percussion instruments. Although the term can be used to describe any such group, it commonly refers to groups of classically trained percussionists performing primarily classical ...

, based in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, United States. The group, composed of Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore, specializes in new music/contemporary classical music and is known for its touring and recording activities. Third Coast Percussion was the Ensemble-in-Residence at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center from 2013-2018. They are the first ensemble at the University of Notre Dame to create a permanent and progressive ensemble residency program at the center. The ensemble performs multiple recitals annually as part of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center's Presenting Series season. Currently they are the ensemble-in-residence at

Denison University Denison University is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio, United States. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. It was first called ...

. The album ''Third Coast Percussion , Steve Reich'' won a

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance The Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance (from 2013: Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance) has been awarded since 1997. In its early years, its title included the addition "(with or without a conductor)". In 1991 the Grammy f ...

, becoming the first percussion group to win in a chamber music category. Third Coast Percussion has released albums on the

Mode Mode ( meaning "manner, tune, measure, due measure, rhythm, melody") may refer to: Arts and entertainment * MO''D''E (magazine), a defunct U.S. women's fashion magazine * ''Mode'' magazine, a fictional fashion magazine which is the setting fo ...

, New Focus,

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...

, and

Cedille A cedilla ( ; from Spanish language, Spanish ', "small ''ceda''", i.e. small "z"), or cedille (from French , ), is a hook or tail () added under certain letters (as a diacritic, diacritical mark) to indicate that their pronunciation is modif ...

record labels. The quartet endorses and performs exclusively with

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

Adams Musical Instruments Adams Musical Instruments is a manufacturer of musical instruments based in the Netherlands. The company produces percussion and brass instruments. Percussion instruments by Adams include timpani, marimbas, xylophones, vibraphones, glockenspiels ...

, Zildjian Cymbals,

Remo Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and drum hardware, hardware, and various percussio ...

Drumheads, and

Vic Firth Everett Joseph "Vic" Firth (June 2, 1930 – July 26, 2015) was an American musician and the founder of Vic Firth Company (formerly Vic Firth, Inc.), a company that makes percussion sticks and mallets. He was also known for his association ...

sticks and mallets.

History

Formation and early years

In 2004, original members Anthony Calabrese, Robert Dillon, Jacob Nissly, and David Skidmore were all percussionists with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, as well as students of

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. Along with their performance work with the ensemble, they formed a chamber percussion group that traveled throughout the Chicago area, performing at

Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment, fourth-large ...

and city colleges as an educational device. Although not using their signature title, it was from this humble engagement that the group Third Coast Percussion was created. The first shows by Third Coast Percussion that were non-education-based were performed in the summer of 2005, the very first two being performed at Northwestern and the

Music Institute of Chicago Music Institute of Chicago (formerly the Music Center of the North Shore) is a community music school in Illinois with campuses in Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire,and Winnetka. Founded in 1931, MIC has expanded over t ...

in Evanston. In the summer of that same year, the group's membership took a slight turn when Jake Nissly left for graduate studies at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

. As a result, Peter Martin, a percussionist pursuing a doctoral degree at Northwestern, filled the spot in the group. In addition to Nissly's departure, member Anthony Calabrese moved on to concentrate on his schoolwork at Northwestern. Former member Owen Clayton Condon, an alumnus from Northwestern and professor at Northeastern University, took Calabrese's place. Rehearsing during the night at Northwestern and

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...

for a brief time, the group began tackling their goals as an ensemble. The unique concept of Third Coast's repertoire was something that the group developed early, influenced by a series of restraints that they dealt with. As a young group, many of their gigs, such as performances at the

Empty Bottle Empty Bottle is a bar and music venue located at 1035 N. Western Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Located on the west side of Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood, the venue primarily hosts local, regional, and touring alternative music acts, ...

, were at small venues with limited space to perform. This would restrict the number of instruments and the type of repertoire performed by the group. These restrictions were instrumental in the selection process of the music that Third Coast performed, as well as the development of the group's style. On February 12, 2006, TCP played at the Neo-Futurarium, a gig that turned out to break open the doors for the group. It was at this performance that they first met Ethelbert Williams, as of 2023 a longtime board member of TCP. Williams, an expert in marketing, was a member of the audience at this concert. Impressed with the ensemble's performance, Williams invited TCP to work with him. Williams was essential in helping to create a presentable package for the group that they could promote to the music world on a much broader scale. Third Coast Percussion has since evolved from solely acting as an educational group associated with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, to a full-time working music ensemble, with Sean Connors assuming Condon's place in the ensemble in 2013.

Present day

Working with Augusta Read Thomas in 2012 helped the ensemble conclude that commissioning can be a deeply collaborative partnership. This led to commissioning projects with

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

, Missy Mazzoli, Gemma Peacocke, Flutronix,

Jlin Jerrilynn Patton (born July 30, 1987), known as Jlin, is an electronic musician. She began producing music in 2008 and received early attention for her 2011 track "Erotic Heat". Jlin's debut album, ''Dark Energy'', was released in 2015 to criti ...

Tyondai Braxton Tyondai Adaien Braxton (born October 26, 1978) is an American composer and musician. He has composed and performed music under his own name and collaboratively since the mid-1990s, including in the experimental rock group Battles from its for ...

, Devonté Hynes,

Georg Friedrich Haas Georg Friedrich Haas (born 16 August 1953) is an Austrian composer. In a 2017 ''Classic Voice'' poll of the greatest works of art music since 2000, pieces by Haas received the most votes (49), and his composition ''in vain'' (2000) topped the li ...

Donnacha Dennehy Donnacha Dennehy (born 17 August 1970) is an Irish composer and leader of the Crash Ensemble specializing in contemporary classical music. According to musicologist Bob Gilmore, Dennehy's "high profile of his compositions internationally, togeth ...

Glenn Kotche Glenn Kotche (born December 31, 1970 in Roselle, Illinois, United States) is an American drummer and composer, best known for his involvement in the band Wilco. He was named the 40th greatest drummer of all time by Gigwise in 2008. Prior to ...

Christopher Cerrone Christopher Cerrone (born March 5, 1984) is an American composer based in New York City. He was a 2014 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, a 2014 Fromm Foundation commission recipient, a 2015 Rome Prize winner in Music Composition, and has received nu ...

David T. Little David T. Little (born October 25, 1978) is a Grammy-nominated American composer, record producer, and drummer known for his operatic, orchestral, and chamber works, most notably his operas ''JFK,'' ''Soldier Songs'', and ''Dog Days'' which was na ...

, and others. These diverse collaborations reflect the ensemble's wide-ranging interests. In addition to working with today's leading composers, Third Coast has also collaborated with "engineers at the University of Notre Dame, architects at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, dancers at

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is a contemporary dance company based in Chicago. Hubbard Street performs in downtown Chicago at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance and at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Hub ...

, and musicians from traditions ranging from the mbira music of Zimbabwe's

Shona people The Shona people () also/formerly known as the Karanga are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, primarily living in Zimbabwe where they form the majority of the population, as well as Mozambique, South Africa, and world ...

, to indie rockers and footwork producers, to some of the world's leading concert musicians." Third Coast has also increased their education offerings with focused programming and initiatives such as the Currents Creative Partnership.

Grammy Award

Third Coast Percussion won a

for their album ''Third Coast Percussion , Steve Reich'', released on Cedille Records. They are the first percussion group to win in a chamber music category. The album entirely featured music by American composer

Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer best known as a pioneer of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich descr ...

in honor of his eightieth birthday and received high praise from Reich himself: "When I heard the Third Coast CD of a number of my pieces...I thought, 'Wow, you know, I've never heard them this way.' You have to literally lean in to listen. Which is a very good way to listen. And the whole thing just knocked my socks off." Third Coast Percussion performed music from the album at the

59th Annual Grammy Awards The 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 12, 2017. The CBS network broadcast the show live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year ...

and were joined by jazz saxophonist

Ravi Coltrane Ravi Coltrane (born August 6, 1965) is an American jazz saxophonist. Co-owner of the record label RKM Music, he has produced music for pianist Luis Perdomo, guitarist David Gilmore, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. Biography Ravi Coltrane is t ...

for the performance. Since this award, Third Coast has been nominated four additional times, with their first nomination as composers in 2021.

Repertoire

Original music

*Condon: ''Double Helix'' (2005) *Condon: ''Fractalia'' (2011) *Condon: ''Quadruple Helix'' (2005) *Dillon: ''Heaven We Need'' (2020) *Dillon: ''...hence the term, well-adjusted.'' (2021) *Dillon: ''Mini-Moutons'' (2020) *Dillon: ''One Concession to Glee'' (2020) *Dillon: ''Ordering-instincts'' (2014) *Martin: ''BEND'' (2016) *Martin: ''WAVES'' (2014) *Skidmore: ''Aliens with Extraordinary Abilities'' (2016) *Skidmore: ''Common Patterns in Uncommon Time'' (2011) *Skidmore: ''Echoes'' (2003) *Skidmore: ''Fanfare for a New Audience'' (2009) *Skidmore: ''In Contact'' (2006) *Skidmore: ''Ritual Music'' (2004) *Skidmore: ''Trying'' (2014) *Third Coast Percussion: ''In Practice'' (2022) *Third Coast Percussion: ''Niagara'' (2016) *Third Coast Percussion: ''Paddle to the Sea'' (2017) *Third Coast Percussion: ''Reaction Yield'' (2016)

Works commissioned

*100 different composers: ''RENGA:Cage:100'' * Christopher Adler: ''Pines Long Slept in Sunshine'' *

Timo Andres Timo Andres (born Timothy Andres in 1985 in Palo Alto, California) is an American composer and pianist. He grew up in rural Connecticut and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Biography After growing up in rural Connecticut, an environment that greatl ...

: ''Austerity Measures'' (2013) *

Marcos Balter Marcos Balter (born April 1, 1974) is a Brazilian contemporary classical music composer and the Fritz Reiner Professor of Musical Composition at Columbia University. Life and professional career Balter began his music studies at age five at t ...

: ''dark rooms'' (2007) * Matthew Barnson: ''Percussion Quartet'' (2006) *Mark Berger: ''Percussion Quartet'' (2006) *

Martin Bresnick Martin Bresnick (born 1946) is a composer of contemporary classical music, film scores and experimental music. Education and early career Bresnick grew up in the Bronx, and is a graduate of New York City's specialized High School of Music and A ...

: ''A Message from the Emperor'' * Kirsten Broberg: ''Constellations'' (2008) *

: ''Goldbeater's Skin'' (2017) *Danny Clay: ''playbook'' (2015) *Adam Cuthbert: ''democracy looks like'' * Thomas DeLio: ''...sound / shivering / silence II'' *

: ''Surface Tension'' (2016) *Christopher Fischer-Lochhead: ''On Tenterhooks'' (2012-2013) *

Ted Hearne Ted Hearne (born 1982) is an American composer, singer and conductor. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California. Biography Ted Hearne was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, where he was a member of the Chicago Children's Choir and gradu ...

: ''Thaw'' (2009) *Ben Hjertmann: ''Automatic Glitch'' (2014) *Ryan Ingebritsen: ''Improvisation in an Altered State'' (2013) *Derek Jacoby: ''We've Gotta Find It'' (2006) *

: ''Perspectives'' (2020, commissioned by the Boulanger Initiative) *

: ''Stones Flow'' *Glenn Kotche: ''Wild Sound'' (2014) *Andrew McKenna Lee: ''Like A Sick, Breathing Tambura'' (2006) *

: ''Haunt of Last Nightfall'' (2010) *José Martínez: ''Two Questions About Time'' (2017) *

Marc Mellits Marc Mellits (born 1966) is an American composer and musician. Mellits was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He studied at the Eastman School of Music from 1984 to 1988, at the Yale School of Music from 1989 to 1991, at Cornell University from 1991 t ...

: ''Gravity'' (2013) *Otto Muller: ''Escoria'' (2010) * Anthony Pateras: ''Lost Compass'' (2010) *Jonathan Pfeffer: ''Jonathan was killed in battle against the Philistines'' *Christopher Preissing: ''Point Line Space I: Sticks and Stones''
Annika Socolofsky
''bellow'' (2017) *Stephen Syverud: ''Snow Creatures'' * Augusta Read Thomas: '' Resounding Earth'' (2012) *Augusta Read Thomas: ''Selene'' *Augusta Read Thomas: ''Wonderful Things! (Tomorrow Sings with Hope)'' *Aaron Travers: ''Deep Carving'' (2006) *Ivan Trevino: ''Watercolor Sun'' (2023) *

Dmitri Tymoczko Dmitri Tymoczko (born 1969) is an American music theorist and composer. As a theorist, he has published more than two dozen articles dealing with topics related to contemporary tonality, including scales, voice leading, and functional harmonic n ...

: ''Röckdöts'' (2013)
Katherine Young
''just water, no lemon'' (2017) *

: '' Aguas da Amazonia'' (2025)

Discography

Original albums *''Ritual Music'' (2008) *''John Cage - The Works for Percussion, vol. 2'' (2012) *''Resounding Earth'' (2013) *''Haunt of Last NightFall'' (2014) *''Unknown Symmetry'' (2013) *''Third Coast Percussion , Steve Reich'' (2016) *''Phillipe Manoury - Book of Keyboards'' (2017) *''Paddle to the Sea'' (2018) *''Perpetulum'' (2019) *''Fields'' (2019) *''Quartered'' (2020) *''Archetypes'' (2021) *''Perspectives'' (2022) *''Currents/Volume 1'' (2022) *''Between Breaths'' (2023) Albums featuring Third Coast Percussion * ''Luminous'' (2016) - Lei Liang * ''The Stone Tapestry'' (2017) - Jeff Herriott * ''Haunt of Last Nightfall'' (2014) -

and Third Coast Percussion * ''Thaw'' (2013) -

and various artists * ''Of Being is a Bird'' (2016) - Augusta Read Thomas * '' Astral Canticle'' (2015) - Augusta Read Thomas * ''Ritual Incantations'' (2017) - Augusta Read Thomas * ''Fields'' (2019) - Devonté Hynes

References

{{Authority control Percussion ensembles Cedille Records artists