Percussion Faculty: Sean Statser

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It's Mutual - Conrad Winslow
Commissioned and recorded by Sean Statser at NYU's James Dolan Studios
"In It's Mutual, a marimba soloist leads a trio of percussionists, performing mostly on unpitched wood and skin instruments, through a series of volatile textures and rhythms. The material in the other percussion instruments often reflects the music of the marimba, but only in general, up-and-down, loud-soft contours.

I wrote this piece with the idiomatic marimba techniques I love. Because the marimba notes decay so quickly, I prefer harmonic progression by suggestion and arpeggiation over insistent, rolled four-note chords. Marimba notes have a characteristic and beautiful attack, so I use uneven groups of repeated notes punctuated by strong accents throughout the piece. Grand, five-octave marimbas also have a unique property: the lowest notes produce more than one tone. They sound the fundamental deep pitch, but they also produce a clear tone much higher than the actual pitch of the rosewood bar - an overtone.

With this attribute in mind, I wrote melodies in the middle part of the piece that chain together the actual high pitches with the overtones of the low pitches. This delicate section then gives way to exuberant music, clangorous at the climax, before closing as it began, with the marimba alone."
- Conrad Winslow

Performer, composer, and educator Sean Statser (b. 1983) has been called "Lithe, muscular, and mesmerizing" by the New York Times. As an advocate for new music, Mr. Statser actively collaborates with several New York City artists and ensembles including: the Grammy-nominated Metropolis Ensemble, Cadillac Moon Ensemble, Syzygy New Music, Blind Ear Music and is a founding member of NoiseBox. He has performed with the American Symphony Orchestra and One World Symphony as a section percussionist, and has appeared at several major venues including: Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Symphony Space, three appearances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (2007, 2008, 2010), Galapagos Art Space, (Le) Poisson Rouge and the Alba Music Festival. He recently performed with the Metropolis Ensemble as part of Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors Festival, under the baton of Maestro Tan Dun.

Mr. Statser has recorded with a variety of artists, including jazz pianist Kenny Werner (No Beginning, No End - Winner of the 2010 Guggenheim Award). He has appeared as a featured soloist on several albums, and is currently working on his latest release, It's Mutual, comprised of commissioned and new works for percussion. He has recorded for labels including: Naxos, Nonesuch, Orange Mountain Music, Innova Records, Half Note Records, Albany Records and New Dynamic Records.

In addition, he is an established composer and was recently commissioned by the Animus Music Festival to write a piece for two percussionists and jazz ensemble, as well as being invited to write a marimba duo that was premiered at the 2010 NYU Broadway Percussion Seminar. His compositions are available for purchase through Bachovich Music Publications.

Mr. Statser received his M.M in Instrumental Performance from New York University, studying under the instruction of Jonathan Haas and Simon Boyar. He holds a B.A. in Music Performance from Fort Lewis College, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and served as Student Marshal for commencement. Upon graduating in 2010, Mr. Statser joined the Percussion Studies faculty at New York University and serves as Coordinator for the NYU Steinhardt Broadway Percussion Seminar/Summit.

Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions

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