Aiyun Huang enjoys a musical life as soloist, chamber musician, researcher, teacher and producer. She was the First Prize and the Audience Award winner at the Geneva International Music Competition in 2002. Her past highlights include performances at the Victoria Hall in Geneva, Weill Recital Hall in New York, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra’s Green Umbrella Series, LACMA Concert Series, Holland Festival, Agora Festival in Paris, Banff Arts Festival, 7éme Biennale d’Art Contemporaine de Lyon, Vancouver New Music Festival, CBC Radio, La Jolla Summerfest, Scotia Festival, Cool Drummings, Montreal New Music Festival, Centro Nacional Di Las Artes in Mexico City, and National Concert Hall and Theater in Taipei. Her recent highlights include solo with St. Lawrence String Quartet, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Taipei Symphony Orchestra and San Diego Symphony.
In 2015, Aiyun led the inaugural edition of Transplanted Roots: Percussion Research Symposium gathering international performers and scholars from four continents to discuss and reflect on the current state of contemporary percussion. Transplanted Roots takes place on a different continent every other year with 2017 in Brisbane (Australia) and 2019 in Guanajuato (Mexico). As a leading expert in percussion theater, she has published a DVD Save Percussion Theater (Mode Records) and a chapter in Cambridge Companion to Percussion (2016) on the subject. Her most recent research project “Memory in Motion” focuses on the understanding of memory in percussion ensemble playing. The documentation from this project will be released on Blue Ray (Mode Records, 2018). As a champion of Canadian music, Aiyun recently hosted Illuminations: Brian Cherney at 75 at McGill University to celebrate the life and work of Canadian composer Brian Cherney as part of Canada 150 projects supported by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). She is currently working on a documentary and DVD recording on the oral tradition to learning Steve Reich’s Drumming. Her upcoming premieres include works by David Bithell, Vivian Fung and Nicole Lizée.
Born in Taiwan, Aiyun holds a DMA from the University of California, San Diego. Between 2004 and 2006, she was a Faculty Fellow at UCSD. Between 2006 and 2017, she led the percussion program at McGill University. She currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Music at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto where she heads the percussion area and directs the percussion ensemble. She also regularly teaches at NYO Canada, soundSCAPE Festival and the Banff Centre.
John Rudolph is firmly established as one of Canada’s leading percussionists. He joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1997 and served as Principal Percussionist for 20 years. He was formerly principal percussionist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra, percussionist with the US Air Force Band in Washington, DC and the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra. John has appeared as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and the National Arts Centre.
As a chamber musician, John has performed with Canada’s premiere percussion ensemble NEXUS, Amici Chamber Ensemble, Soundstreams, Masterpiece Music, Vancouver New Music and the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival. He frequently performs as a member of the Rudolph Family Players with his wife, flutist Kathleen Rudolph and daughter, violist Theresa Rudolph. By invitation, he has performed with the percussion sections of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Kirov Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and Washington DC’s National Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to U of T, John is on the faculty of the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. He has been a featured clinician for the Ontario Percussive Arts Society and given masterclasses at Lakehead University, Laurentian University, the University of Ottawa, Wilfrid Laurier University and Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Michigan. Previously, John was Adjunct Professor of Percussion at the University of British Columbia and a faculty member of the Vancouver Academy of Music and the Courtenay Youth Music Centre. His students have gone on to successful careers in the orchestras of Vancouver, Victoria, Chicago, Seoul, Bergen and the National Ballet of Canada. John received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in August, 2012 in recognition of his service to Canada as a member of the faculty of the National Youth Orchestra.
A native of Philadelphia, John studied privately with Alan Abel and Charles Owen of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Jack Moore of the Philadelphia Chamber Symphony. He received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he studied with Russell Hartenberger, Tony Ames and Morris Lang.
He enjoys reading history and following the Philadelphia sports teams. John is an avid runner and has completed 29 marathons including five Boston Marathons.
Canadian percussionist Beverley Johnston is internationally recognized for her dynamic performances on marimba and percussion. Her exciting performances have been distinguished as unconventional, effectively combining classical transcriptions, contemporary music, and a touch of theatre. She has captivated audiences across North America and overseas with her personal charm and her unique style. Her performances and recordings have been broadcast on radio networks all over the world. She has released six solo CDs: Woman Runs with Wolves (2013, Centrediscs) Ming (2009, Centrediscs); Garden of Delights (2004, independent release); Alternate Currents (1992, Centrediscs); Marimbach (1989, CBC Records Musica Viva); and Impact (1986, Centrediscs, JUNO nominee). She can also be heard as soloist or chamber musician on numerous other recordings.
She has maintained an active schedule with her international travels performing at percussion festivals in the United States, Europe and Asia including the Ivan Bilic Marimba Week in Croatia (2017), The International Katarzyna Mycka Marimba Academy in Europe (2013, 2015), the Shenyang International Percussion Festival in China (2010), The International Marimba Festival and Conference in Minneapolis, USA (2010), The Zeltsman Marimba Festival in USA (2005, 2009, 2013), Nebojsa Zivkovic’s International Marimba Academy in Germany (2008), the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (1988, 1995, 2006, 2009, 2014), the Stockholm International Percussion Event (1998) and the Journee de la Percussions in Paris, France (1999). The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity invited her to be a faculty member in the fall of 2016. For years she has been performing at different Canadian summer music festivals including the Festival of the Sound and The Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, among others.
In 2009 she was given the distinction of becoming an Ambassador of the Canadian Music Centre in honour of her exemplary commitment to the performance of Canadian composers.
Beverley has enjoyed collaborating with other musicians including the Amici Chamber Ensemble, the Penderecki String Quartet, The Blue Rider Ensemble, The Art of Time Ensemble, violinist Marc Djokic, flautist Susan Hoeppner, TorQ Percussion Quartet and the Joint Venture Percussion Duo.
Ms. Johnston has been featured in several important interviews and documentaries. She was one of the hosts for the CBC radio show “This is my Music” in 2016, featured guest for percussionist Casey Cangelosi’s popular internet podcasts (2017) and has had feature articles in DRUM! Magazine (Beverley Johnston: A Champion of New, Genre-Busting Works by David A. Brensilver; March, 2015) and Percussive Notes (Finding Her Voice: An Interview with Beverley Johnston by Nathan Daughtrey; September, 2014). She was also the subject of an hour-long documentary on CBC Television’s nationally broadcast Sunday Arts and Entertainment (1995). Her performance on this program was nominated for a GEMINI Award in the category of “Best Performance in a Performing Arts Program”.
Beverley Johnston received her training at Vanier College in her native Montreal and studied with Russell Hartenberger at the University of Toronto, where she now teaches. Beverley is a Marimba One and Paiste Artist.
Charles Settle joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as Principal Percussion in 2017. He was previously a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (2004–2017), where he had been serving as Acting Principal Percussion since 2015. Charles has also appeared with many other ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic (where he was Percussion and Assistant Principal Timpanist for the 2008/09 season), Berlin Staatskapelle Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. In the summer months, Charles performs with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Sun Valley, Idaho, as well as the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
From 2000 to 2004, Charles was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. Charles made his début solo appearance in September 2015 with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, performing Avner Dorman’s concerto for two percussionists, entitled Spices, Perfumes, and Toxins.
An active educator, Charles has given masterclasses at the University of Toronto, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Florida, DePaul University, Manhattan School of Music, Interlochen Arts Camp, New World Symphony, and the Curtis Institute of Music where he visits annually. From 2013 to 2017, Settle was an adjunct faculty member at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. He also coached the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2004 to 2015. In 2017, Charles joined the faculty of The Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory and in 2018 he joined the faculty of the University of Toronto. He is the Percussion Coach of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Charles was born in Princeton, Kentucky, where his love of music began. He completed his high school studies at the Interlochen Arts Academy, and earned his Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Michael Bookspan and Don Liuzzi. Charles serves as an Artist and Clinician for Zildjian Cymbals, Freer Percussion, and Pearl/Adams Drums.
When Charles is not performing, you can find him playing outside with his two young children or enjoying a glass of wine with his wife.
– Britton-René Collins – Marimba One artist Grand Prize winner of 2022 Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition
– Tyler Cunningham – Fulbright Scholarship recipient
– Dr. Ryan Scott – Artist Director, Continuum Contemporary Music; Principal Percussion, Esprit Orchestra; Percussionist, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra
– Dr. Michelle Colton – Percussion Prepatory Department, University of Toronto; Steelpan instructor, Royal Conservatory of Music; Artist/Endorser for Adams/Pearl Percussion, Dream cymbals, Steelpan Store
– Dr. Jamie Drake – TorQ Percussion Quartet; Percussionist/Drummer and Assistant Manager, The Musical Stage Company’s “Uncovered” concert series; Composer
– Richard Burrows – TorQ Percussion Quartet; Artistic Director, Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound
– Adam Campbell – TorQ Percussion Quartet; House Drummer and Producer, Euphonic Sound Recording Studio; Teacher and Clinician, Soundstreams Canada
– Daniel Morphy – TorQ Percussion Quartet; Associate Composer, Canadian Music Centre; Composer
– Edward Choi – Principal Percussion, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra; Artist/Endorser for Malletech, Dynasty, Sabian
Recent masterclasses by visiting artists
– Russell Hartenberger (Canada)
– Bill Cahn (USA)
– Jauvon Gillian (Washington D.C)
– Vern Williams (Canada)
– Ivan Manzanilla (Mexico)
– Tatsuya Nakatani (Japan)
– Percussions Clavier De Lyon (France)
– Dr. Ryan Scott (Canada)
– Joe Kelly (Canada)
– Feza Zweifel (Canada)
– Emmanuel Séjourné (France)
– Filip Mercep (Croatia)
– Weiland Welzel (Germany)