VIC FIRTH ENSEMBLE: MEEHAN/PERKINS DUO

Founded in 2006, the Meehan/ Perkins Duo (Todd Meehan and Doug Perkins) has emerged as a driving force in new music through their compelling performances of new works for percussion. Hailed as "superb young performers" by the New Yorker and "gifted percussionists" by the Wall Street Journal, the duo believes in cultivating relationships with living composers through commissions and collaborations that expand the percussion genre. Their repertoire encompasses the vast sound possibilities of percussion, including both acoustic and electro-acoustic works.

Todd and Doug first began collaborating as chamber musicians in 1999 as founding members of So Percussion. They have since performed at countless venues across the country including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Bang on a Can Marathon, the BAM Next Wave Festival, Miller Theater, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the Round Top Chamber Music Series. In addition to their performances the duo regularly teaches master classes at universities throughout the country.

 

The duo performs on Pearl/ Adams musical instruments, Black Swamp Percussion accessories, and Vic Firth sticks and mallets.

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT:
EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCES WITH THE MEEHAN/PERKINS DUO!

 PAUL LANSKY'S "TRAVEL DIARY"
 

Travel Diary is a kind of meditation on travel, particularly for those who don't do it that much. While not literally programmatic, each movement has some characteristics that reflect the sense of its title.

The first movement, "Leaving Home," surveys the percussion ensemble, looking around to see what we've packed for the trip, making sure we have what we need. In the second movement. "Cruising Speed." we get onto the highway or into the air and are on our way.
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  – Movement III: "Lost in Philly"
  The third movement, "Lost in Philly," was inspired by a minor disaster I once had after packing my wife and two small children in the car for a trip from Princeton to Los Angeles and promptly taking a wrong turn leaving us searching for a way to get past Philadelphia (with the younger child asking "Are we there yet?")." - Paul Lansky
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 – Movement IV: "Arrived, Phone Home"
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JOHN FITZ ROGER'S "ONCE REMOVED"
  For two marimbas and click track
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  – A discussion of "Once Removed"
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Todd Meehan

Todd Meehan currently serves as Assistant Professor of Percussion at the Baylor University School of Music. He is an active solo, orchestral, and chamber musician and has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. From 1999 to 2003 Todd served as a founding member of So Percussion and in 2006 he co-founded the Meehan/ Perkins Duo with percussionist Douglas Perkins. His solo and chamber music endeavors are focused on the creation and performance of new music. In this capacity he has commissioned works from David Lang, Paul Lansky, Charles Wourinen, Alejandro Viñao, Lukas Ligeti, and Robert Morris, and has worked with composers Steve Reich, Christopher Rouse, and James Wood, among others.

As an orchestral musician Todd has performed under conductors Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Tilson Thomas, Robert Spano, Peter Ounjdian, Gunther Schuller, and Myung Whung Chung. He currently serves as Principal Timpanist with the Waco Symphony Orchestra and frequently collaborates with the baroque specialists of the Orchestra of New Spain.

Performance credits include the Bang on a Can Marathon, the BAM Next Wave Festival, Miller Theater's Composer Portrait Series, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the International Festival-Institute at Round Top, the Open Ears New Music Series, the New England Gamelan Festival, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

Todd received his Bachelor of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and his Master of Music degree from Yale University. His principal percussion teachers include Robert van Sice, George Frock, and James Ross.

Todd performs on Pearl/ Adams Musical Instruments, Vic Firth Drumsticks and Mallets, and Black Swamp Percussion accessories.


Doug Perkins

Doug Perkins specializes in new works for percussion as a chamber musician and soloist. His performances have been described as, “terrific, wide-awake and strikingly entertaining” by the Boston Globe and “brilliant” by the New York Times. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Spoleto USA Festival, the Ojai Festival and the World Expo in Lisbon, Portugal. He was a founder of So Percussion and is presently hard at work with the Meehan/ Perkins Duo.
Commissioning and collaborating of new work is important to Doug. He works regularly with such composers as David Lang, Steve Reich, Paul Lansky, John Luther Adams, Nathan Davis, Larry Polansky, and Joseph Schwantner. He also performs regularly with groups such as the International Contemporary Ensemble, Signal, Alarm Will Sound, Camerata Pacifica, Collage New Music, eighth blackbird, Max Roach’s M’ Boom, and the electronica duo Matmos.

Doug currently teaches at Dartmouth College where he teaches percussion and directs the Contemporary Music Lab. Additionally, he is the Director of the Annual Festival of New Music and the concert series The Way to Go Out.

Doug received his Bachelor’s degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Masters and Artist Diploma degrees from Yale University, and his Doctorate from Stony Brook University. His principle percussion teachers were Jack DiIanni, Jim Culley, and Robert Van Sice.

He performs with Vic Firth Drumsticks and Mallets, Pearl/ Adams Musical Instruments, and Black Swamp Percussion accessories.

For the latest touring and clinic information,
VISIT MEEHAN PERKINS DUO ONLINE!
www.mpduo.com








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