Distinguished Faculty Lecture with Ayano Kataoka, Percussion Professor
In this three-part lecture, percussionist and marimbist Ayano Kataoka will dive into a personal and historical exploration of percussion music in Japan, with emphasis on the marimba, Japanese culture, and the influence of Keiko Abe. Listeners will then learn the role of the percussionist as actress, paying close attention to the intersection of theater, music, and visuality in performance. The discussion will conclude with a look at the evolution of percussion as an exemplar of world culture, with Professor Kataoka showing how innovations in the expression of timbre, rhythm, and physicality are pushing music in dynamic new directions. To illustrate the performance of music, each section will showcase the works of Keiko Abe, Stuart Saunders Smith, and Iannis Xenakis.