(b. 1967)
Derek Bermel was born in New York in 1967. After securing his BA at Yale, Bermel studied at the University of Michigan with amongst others, William Albright. He also spent time in Europe learning from Louis Andriessen in Amsterdam and then back to the US and Henri Dutilleux at Tanglewood. As a man of many miles, Derek Bernel also studied in Bulgaira with Nikola Iliev, in Israel with André Hajdu, Brazil for caxixi with Julio Góes and Ghana for a touch of xylophone with Ngmen Baaru. Bermel’s music has been influenced by his travels and early education in popular music. His compositions are a broad mixture of choral works, solo vocal pieces in addition to multiple chamber and orchestral works. Bermel has associated with an extremely broad range of artists and individuals such as installation artist Shimon Attie, choreographer Sheron Wray and playwright Will Eno. In addition to collaboration with other musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, he has also appeared as a clarinet soloist in his own right with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Derek Bermel has received commissions from a who’s who of US orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, St Louis Symphony, Seattle Chamber Music Festival and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Derek Bermel Composition Timpani and Percussion Requirements
A Shout a Whisper and a Trace
No Timpani + 2 percussion + celeste
Timpani, glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba, tubular bells C4, Db, F, B, D5, snare drum, orchestral bass drum, pedal bass drum, conga, tambourine suspended cymbal, Chinese cymbal, sizzle cymbal, hi hat, thunder sheet, vibraslap, triangle, cowbell, sandpaper blocks, caxixix, rainstick, mark tree, siren, ratchet - celeste
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Continental Divide
No Timpani + 1 percussion + celeste
Xylophone, snare drum, China cymbal, Thai gongs F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, hi hat, wood block, tambourine, whip, flexatone, ratchet - celeste
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Dust Dances
Timpani + 3 percussion
1) xylophone, suspended cymbal, slapstick, maracas, ratchet, tubular bells, triangle, whistle, flexatone, gong, woodblock, 2) marimba, triangle, suspended cymbal, flexatone, cowbell, Chinese cymbal, glockenspiel, 3) orchestral bass drum, anvil, mark tree, mark tree, suspended cymbal, conga,3 tom toms
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Elixir
Timpani + 3/4 percussion
1) Chinese cymbal, sizzle cymbal, rainstick, bass bow 2) deep nipple gong, mark tree, bamboo wind chimes, rainstick, bass bow 3) vibraphone, rainstick, mark tree, bamboo wind chimes, 4) marl tree, rainstick, bamboo wind chimes
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Migration Series
Timpani + 2 percussion
1) vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel. suspended cymbal, 2 cowbells, triangle, sleighbells, conga, tambourine, cabassa, claves, rainstick, maracas, Brazilian shaker, caxixi, egg shaker
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Slides
Timpani + 2 percussion
1) flexatone, ratchet, conga, tambourine, xylophone, cowbell, cuica, high slide whistle, vibraslap, wood block, lions roar, 2) slapstick, water gong, guiro, flexatone, slide whislte low, drum kit, triangle
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Tag Rag
No Timpani + 2 percussion
Orchestral bass drum, field drum, snare drum, xylophone, small and large wood blocks, conga, triangle, suspended cymbal
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The End
Timpani + 3 percussion
1) snare drum, triangle glockenspiel 2) clash cymbals, suspended cymbal, 3) orchestral bass drum, xylophone - Timp also plays flexatone
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Thracian Echoes
Timpani + 2 percussion + celeste
1) suspended cymbal, snare drum, tambourine, glockenspeil, tubular bells, xylophone, wood block, conga, 2) orchestral bass drum, tambourine, triangle, suspended cymbal, vibraphone, cabasa - celeste
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Turning Variations
Timpani + 2 percussion
Glockenspiel 2 octaves crotales, vibraphone, tubular bells, xylophone, flexatone, gongs, triangle, sleigh bells, suspended cymbal, Chinese cymbal, clash cymbals, tam-tam, vibraslap, ratchet, Latin cowbell, castanets, low wood bock, cabassa, lions roar, tam tam, snare drum, timbales, 4 tom toms, conga, orchestral bass drum, small orchestral bass drum
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Voices
Timpani + 3 percussion
1) glockenspiel, anvil, (with percussion 3), tambourine, cabassa, sleigh bells, ratchet, button gong, tuned gong, lionss roar, 2) marimba, large orchestral bass drum, suspended cymbal, cuica, cowbell, agogo bells, claves, slapstick (with percussion 3), button gong, police whistle, 3) xylophone, drum kit, castanets, anvil (with percussion 1), slapstick (with percussion 2) vibraslap
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