Simone Mancuso
Faculty Associate
Office: MUSIC-W235
Phone: 480.544.2130
E-mail: simone.mancuso@asu.edu
http://www.simonemancuso.com
Bio:
“Brilliant” (LA REPUBBLICA)
...“the ability to fascinate”... (SUONARE) “
...mastery and prodigious performance ability. Immense”! (Mario Gamba, ALIAS)
...“among the major international percussionists around”... (CONTEMPORANEA) …
“Currently one of our best percussionists”... (MUSICA)
...“riveting!” (AMADEUS)
Simone Mancuso, percussionist and conductor, was born and raised in Italy. He has been internationally recognized for his interpretations of contemporary classical pieces with prizes including the Kranichstein-Stipendienpreise from the Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt in 2002 and the First Prize from the Stockhausen Stiftung für Musik in 2005, which was awarded to Mancuso directly by Karlheinz Stockhausen. In 2007, Karlheinz Stockhausen selected him as a recommended performer of his works.
His career as a soloist has taken him throughout Japan, Russia, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States. He has performed in such prestigious venues and festivals as the Kennedy Center, Blues Alley, Strathmore Hall, the Martha Argerich Project, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, ISCM World New Music Days, Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik Darmstadt, RAI Radio Tre, Teatro Nacional of Brazil, and the Moscow Conservatory, among others.
As a soloist, he has appeared with the Basel Sinfonietta, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, SONUS Ensemble, and Orchestra da Camera Ungherese under the baton of Alexander Rabinovitch-Barakovsky, Johannes Kalitzke, Giorgio Bernasconi, Denise Fedeli, and Diego Fasolis.
He has collaborated with composers including Karlheinz Stockhausen, Salvatore Sciarrino, Klaus Huber, Chaya, Czernowin, Edoardo Soto-Milan, Rudolf Kelterborn, Adriana Hölsky, Giovanni Damiani and Glenn Hackbarth among others.
In a chamber music setting, he has performed and recorded with celebrated pianists such as Martha Argerich, Gabriele Baldocci and Giorgia Tomassi. Mancuso’s critically acclaimed, internationally released recordings can be heard on Deutsche Grammophon, Stradivarius, Col Legno, Curva Minore, Suisse Grammont Portrait, and Chelandia. His solo CD La Parola al Legno features the world premiere recording of Il Legno e la Parola for solo marimba by Salvatore Sciarrino. His second solo CD is entirely dedicated to John Cage and features the world premiere recording of Variations VIII.
He is the founding member of the Swiss-based Lugano Percussion Group, the jazz/ classical crossover duo Mancuso-Suzda Project, and the Sonus Duo with renowned saxophonist Timothy McAllister. Since 2009 he has collaborated with the Phoenix-based ensemble, Crossing 32nd Street.
As a conductor, he recently toured with his New York based trio Ensemble Nomade where he conducted Stravinsky Histoire du Soldat at the Martha Argerich Festivals in Japan and Switzerland. For this project Ensemble Nomade was paired with the members of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Saito Kinen Orchestra, Tokyo University (Japan) and the Swiss Radio Orchestra.
Currently, Mancuso lives in Phoenix, USA, where he is an Adjunct Professor of Percussion, Director of the Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble, Co-Director of the Contemporary Percussion Ensemble and Co-Director of the Contemporary Music Festival at Arizona State University.
He holds a Conservatory Diploma in Percussion from the Conservatorio A. Scontrino in Trapani, Italy, where he studied with Professor Fulvia Ricevuto. He also received the Solisten Diplom from the University School of Music of Lugano, Switzerland where he studied with Professor Mircea Ardeleanu. The Solisten Diplom is only given four times per year, and Mancuso was the first percussionist ever to receive this recognition.
Dom Moio
Lecturer
E-mail: dommoio@cox.net
http://www.dommoio.com
Bio:
Dom Moio, faculty associate in Jazz and Percussion, has played with jazz luminaries such as Mose Allison, Herb Ellis, Ahmad Jamal and Clark Terry. He also had the opportunity to meet and study with legendary Cuban Master Percussionist Walfredo de los Reyes Sr.
Among his frequent record dates, Moio has recorded two CDs with Jazz great Carl Fontana. He also recorded with The Jazz Nonet with Chuck Marohnic and Greg Hopkins. In 1997, Moio had the opportunity to do a re-recording of the Four Tops hits with the group's original singers, playing both drums and Latin percussion. Recent recordings include I Got 'cha Drums Right Here and Seeds with Chuck Marohnic. Mel Bay has published two of Moio's books:Latin Percussion in Perspective and Be-Bop Phrasing for Drums.
In addition to teaching drum set, Moio is the director of the ASU Latin Jazz Band and artistic director for the ASU Latin Jazz Workshop, a summer program for middle school and high school students. Moio also keeps a busy schedule traveling as a clinician for Trick Drums, Latin Percussion, Evans Drum Heads, Calato/Regal Tip Drumsticks and Sabian Cymbals.
J. B. Smith
Professor
Office: MUSIC W243
Phone: 480.965.3549
Fax: 480.965.2659
E-mail: j.b.smith@asu.edu
http://www.public.asu.edu/~idjbs/
Bio:
Dr. J. B. Smith is Professor of Music and the Coordinator of Percussion Studies in the School of Music at Arizona State University. He is internationally recognized as a performer, composer, educator and conductor having performed and recorded with musicians such as Steve Reich, Daniel Lentz, George Crumb, Chinary Ung, Sal Martirano, Chou Wen Chung, Lou Harrison, Morton Subotnick, Mary Ellen Childs, Arthur Weisberg, Alex Acuna, Robert Spring, John Bergamo, Len "Boogsie" Sharpe, Liam Teague, Robert Chappell, Brad Dutz, and Anthony Braxton.
He is director of the ASU Contemporary Percussion Ensemble that was featured in performances at the 1991 and 2002 Percussive Arts Society International Conventions. As a member of the Desert's Edge Clarinet-Percussion Duo with Dr. Robert Spring, Dr. Smith performed at the Music Educator's National Conference in 1994 and the 1992, 1995, 2002 and 2004 Clarinet Fest International Conferences. He served as principal percussionist with Ensemble 21, a contemporary music group under the direction of Arthur Weisberg, and as principal percussionist with The Daniel Lentz Group which performed at the Interlink Festival in Los Angeles, the Bang on a Can Festival in New York and the Festival Musica Visual in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. He has also recorded and performed with the internationally acclaimed Summit Brass and the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded for Koch, Summit, Centaur, Rhizome Sketch, Fontec, Leo, Canyon Records and Whole>Sum Productions. His CDs Apparitions for Percussion, First Reflections and At the Desert's Edge are available from Amazon.com.
He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baylor University where he studied with Dr. Larry Vanlandingham, his Master of Music in Percussion Performance and Literature degree from the University of Illinois where he studied with Prof. Thomas Siwe and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas where he studied with Dr. Robert Schietroma. Previously, Dr. Smith was on the music faculties of Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas and Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. He has written articles for The Instrumentalist, The Canadian Band Journal and Percussive Notes and served as president of the Arizona chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. In 1995, he hosted the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Phoenix.
Dr. Smith is active as a composer, with numerous works published by C. Alan Publications.
As a clinician, he has appeared at the Music Educator's National Conference, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention and over 50 colleges and universities in North America. Dr. Smith proudly endorses Pearl Drums, Adams Percussion, Zildjian Cymbals, Mike Balter Mallets, and Grover Pro Percussion.
