ABOUT THE ARTIST
David Sabella, Performer, Educator, Composer
David Sabella is a music education and performance major at West Chester University. David is a multifaceted performer with many achievements to his name. David has won several competitions including West Chester University’s S. Powell Middleton/Freshman Instrumental Scholarship Competition, which includes all WCU woodwind, brass, percussion, and string studios. David also won the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the West Chester Wind Symphony, performing Ney Rosauro’s Concerto No. 1 for Marimba. Additionally, David has also performed several concerts throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, at venues including First Presbyterian Church, Tel Hai Retirement Community, and Unitarian Universalists Society of Mill Creek
Alongside his performance career, David collaborated with three of his peers to form the percussion chamber group, Mosaic Percussion. The members of this group include Anthony Maldonado, Jacob Scheidt, David Sabella and Craig DiGiamarino. While performing many high level works together, their biggest achievement is recording Viet Cuong’s Re(New)al as the four soloists with the WCU Wind Ensemble. During this process, Mosaic Percussion has performed this masterwork in 5 concerts and given 2 masterclasses to composers and performers alike. With being featured on two separate albums (Games and Bright Shadows) Mosaic Percussion is an ensemble to be on the lookout for as it continues to develop and grow.
David, alongside his performance career, has had much success as an educator. With 6 years of private lessons under his belt, David has taught with several different organizations. These include Twin Valley High School, Garnet Valley High School, Vivace Productions and Marchwood Music Lessons. David’s students have gone on to compete at the state level and have been admitted to their dream music school and summer programs.
Additionally, David’s compositions have been performed in recitals and concerts throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. His works are typically dense with lots of rhythmic aggression and flare. David’s compositional style seeks to explore a full spectrum of emotional expression utilizing the virtuosic nature of percussion.
As David is currently finishing his undergraduate education at West Chester University, he looks forward to attending grad school this fall to continue his education in music.
JOSÉ/BEFOREJOHN5(2000)
Aurél Holló’s Jose / beFore John 5 was inspired by a recording of Oriental Bass by the ethnic contrabass-player Renaud GarciaFons. Holló incorporates the use of Arabic and Gypsie effects alongside a theme from Paco de Lucia on both the marimba and guitar with a Spanish flair. With the main center piece being the soloistic marimba voice, two players perform on either side splitting each other in rapid succession. This style of playing is especially virtuosic and is based on the traditional xylophone music of Africa. This fast-paced wonder serves as a perfect opener to any recital or concert, one the audience is sure to enjoy.
SWERVE(2017)
Swerve was commissioned by Tom Sherwood for the 2017 Modern Snare Drum Competition. Utilizing a doorstop screwed into a snare stick, alongside a knitting needle, Koshinski’s composition creates newly found sounds on the snare drum. This composition is episodic, with the title referencing the rapid change of ideas and diversions from the primary musical material The groove set at the start serves as a fast-paced theme that continues to reappear throughout the piece. Koshinski’s innovative writing aims to bring the listener in and break expectations.
WICCA(2010)
Wicca is a multiple percussion solo involving conga, bongos, bass drum, tom drum, gongs, triangle, and finger cymbals. The term “Wicca” is used as a noun, meaning witch or sorcerer. Cangelosi’s composition style is rhythmically aggressive and quick, incorporating extended techniques to introduce new sounds into his pieces. Wicca is no exception with its rapid-fire phrases around the drums and the use of extended techniques such as finger rolls, scraping, and rolling on two drums with one stick. Utilizing these techniques and this piece’s sheer speed, Wicca is regarded as one of the most physically demanding multiple percussion solos in the repertoire.
SONGANDDANCEMVT. II–DANCEOFTHEDRUMS(2009)
Gene Koshinski’s Song and Dance is a two-movement work featuring both a lighthearted song and the movement that you will hear today: a warlike dance of drums. The second movement utilizes the Conch Shell, played like a brass instrument, to overwhelm the sound and create an atmosphere of a war dance. This exhilarating piece is sure to reenergize the listener and bring a fresh perspective for percussion duo repertoire.
KHANVARIATIONS(2001)
Khan Variations is Alejandro Viñao’s first composition for solo marimba. This piece was a joint commission by 12 of the foremost marimbists in the world, including Bogdan Bacanu, Michael Burritt, Nanae Mimura, Gordon Stout, Jack Van Geem, Robert Van Sice, Nancy Zeltsman, and Alan Zimmerman. Khan Variations was first performed by Jack Van Geem at Princeton University in 2001. This piece is inspired by the music of Pakistani singer, Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn. These 8 variations manipulate the opening theme through augmentation, diminution, and retrograde. While Khan Variations does not have a certain tonal center, the rhythmic complexity creates a palatable spectacle for both the audience and performer.
WATERCOLORSUN(2023)
Ivan Trevino’s most recent composition, Watercolor Sun, is surely a breath of fresh air after the preceding pieces performed today. Composed for the Grammy-winning ensemble, Third Coast Percussion, this piece was premiered at PASIC in 2023. Trevino, like most of his compositions, started singing by the piano to attempt to capture the lyrical nature of the voice. Watercolor Sun utilizes a shared 4.3-octave marimba), with two playing on the “correct” side and two playing on the “wrong side” to minimize the amount of shared space each player has. This piece serves as a perfect closer to any concert.