Mason Stroop, Percussion
Mason Stroop is a senior music performance major at West Chester University. He is involved heavily in the Swope community through various ensembles and organizations. He has had the privilege to be a part of the WCU Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Latin Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble, and various Jazz Combos for most of his time at West Chester. Mason also plays drums in the band Marquette, where he gets to play at local restaurants and for weddings
Through his time with the WCU Wind Ensemble, Mason has been a part of two commercial album recordings; Bright Shadows (2024), and The Road is Life (2025). The Ensemble has also had the opportunity to play for various occasions, most recently being the Presidential Inauguration of Dr. R. Lorraine Bernotsky, 16th President of West Chester University.
During the summers, Mason has played drums at Kings Dominion Amusement Park in Virginia (2022-2023), and at Dorney Park in Allentown PA (2024). He would like to thank Windish Entertainment for giving him the opportunity to learn and create music with so many talented musicians from all over the world.
While attending West Chester, Mason has joined many different clubs and organizations. He has served as the treasurer for the Percussion Club for the last two years. Mason is also a brother of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, where he served as historian (2023-2024) and President (2024-2025). Mason will be continuing his work with the brotherhood upon graduation while serving as West Chester’s chapter Alumni Relations Officer, and as all of Central and Eastern Pennsylvania’s chapters as the Assistant Province Collegiate Representative for the National Fraternity. Mason has also been involved with the WCU Rock Climbing Team and Outdoor Adventure Group.
Outside of school, Mason is a Firefighter for the West Chester Fire Department. Mason served with the Fame Fire Company for two years, and now serves with the Good Will Fire Company as one of their Live-In Firefighters.
Upon graduation, Mason will continue his work with the Good Will Fire Company as he attends EMT school in May. Mason hopes to continue learning and creating music locally while he continues schooling for emergency medical services.
Andrew Baldridge (B.M. ’26) is a music education major at West Chester University. Andrew Baldridge is a Percussionist who performs and teaches around the Philadelphia area. He has performed with the WCU Wind Ensemble, WCU Percussion Ensemble, WCU Orpheus Signers, and WCU Symphony Orchestra. His teaching experiences include private percussion lessons, CLIP staff for Vivace Productions, and teaching the drumline and front ensemble at Council Rock High School South.
Sam Cundiff (B.M. ’28) is a double major in Music therapy and percussion performance. Sam serves as the historian for both West Chester University’s Music Therapy Club, as well as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association for Music Therapy Students (MARAMTS). She is a recipient for both the SURF and SURI research grant, which is advocating for the standardization of percussion music therapy education across universities and why percussive elements are important in clinical practice.
Craig DiGiamarino (B.M. ’25) is a Music Performance major at West Chester University. Craig regularly performs with the WCU Wind Ensemble and WCU Percussion Ensemble. He has a deep passion for chamber music and has spent multiple summers at the Sandbox Percussion Seminar studying and performing chamber music. Craig is in his fourth year at WCU and plans to continue his musical education at grad school. He primarily studies with Dr. Ralph Sorrentino and Professor Chandler Beaugrand.
Alexander Fry (B.M. ’27) is currently in his second year at West Chester University pursuing a BM in Music Education. He is from North Huntingdon, PA, and a graduate of Norwin High School, where he participated in several curricular, extracurricular, and honors ensembles. He has performed at Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, is a recipient of the John Phillip Sousa Band Award, and currently holds positions as a private lesson teacher and marching band instructor. Alex is extremely passionate about music education and is greatly looking forward to his career and impacting the lives of his future students. Additionally, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, riding his motorcycle during the summer, and is an advocate for the Deaf community and American Sign Language.
Nathan Hansen (B.M. ’24) is a composer and trombonist working in the greater Philadelphia area. He graduated from West Chester University in 2024 with degrees in Composition and Studio Composition. An improvising musician, Nathan studied jazz improvisation with John Swana and played in the WCU Criterions. He is the founder of Kitchen Sink, a new music ensemble that showcases the artistry of local creative musicians, performing at the WCU Jazz Fest, Windish Studios, Nostalgia Fishtown, and more. Nathan writes for his own groups as well as other commissions. His most recent is an arrangement for Hailey Brinnel's upcoming album of show tunes, featuring Silas Irvine, Steve Fidyk, Madison Rast and more. For more info visit nathanhansencomposer.com
Eric Rodgers (B.M. ’25) is an undergraduate music performance major at West Chester University. As a percussionist, he has performed with various ensembles including the WCU percussion ensemble, WCU Wind Ensemble, WCU Symphony Orchestra, Latin Jazz ensemble, and many marching groups. Eric has vast experience playing snare drum in drum corps settings, and he also spends time teaching marching percussion throughout the area.
Zack Volturo (B.M. ’25) is a percussionist and educator from Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Zack has performed with a variety of ensembles including the WCU Symphony Orchestra, WCU Wind Ensemble, and the University of Pennsylvania Wind Ensemble. Zack also teaches high school marching percussion and has taught privately since 2021. Zack is currently finishing his Bachelors in Music Education at West Chester University.
SOULFOOD(2022)
Soul Food was originally composed for the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff marching band. Composed originally by Jlin, it was then arranged into a percussion quartet by Sean Connors for Third Coast Percussion. Sean Connors' version premiered in 2023 at the Birds of Paradise Festival in Antwerp, Belgium. There are opportunities in this piece for improvisation for each player indicated in their parts. Connor states in the performance notes, “the performer should utilize the indicated rhythmic language to create variations on the notated motives.” This piece incorporates unique instruments and found objects, such as slap tubes, devil chaser and cricket caller.
ALTEREGO(2014)
Alter Ego, 1st place winner of the Percussive Arts Society 40th Annual Composition Contest, is a unique take on performing with an audio recording. The audio soundscape itself consists purely of recorded sounds from an actual snare drum. No synthesizers, sound effects, or other instruments – snare drum only. Sounds include scraping and shaking snare wires, striking the detached rim, dropping a snare drum down the stairs, and singing into the head. These sounds are stretched, warped, distorted, de-tuned, and mangled to create a fresh and energetic soundscape.
TRIOINARUDIMENTALSTYLE(2002)
Trio in a Rudimental Style was commissioned in 2002 by the New York Philharmonic percussion section. It was written for three snare drums and three floor toms. It is heavily influenced by funk drum set styles Joseph Tompkins is a percussionist and composer who has written incredibly influential works for snare drum. He has played in many acclaimed groups, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra.
RULEOF6(2025)
Rule of 6 was commissioned by Craig DiGiamarino and Mason Stroop. The piece was inspired by the physical concepts of time and rotation. Rule of 6 is intended to be performed in exactly six minutes, and originally had the performers rotating around the circular set up every fifteen seconds, for 24 total rotations: one for each hour of the day. The composer found the constant rotating to be cumbersome and inserted an interlude to allow the performers to simply perform without the logistical burden of more rotations. The instrumentation has an abundance of metalloids to mimic the chiming and clicking of clockwork, and the result is meant to be a cacophonous flurry of high-pitched percussive elements. The composer is very grateful for the collaborative efforts of the performers: Andrew Baldridge, Sam Cundiff, Craig DiGiamarino, and Mason Stroop, and hopes that you enjoy Rule of 6. - Nathan Hansen
SUMMERTREEHOUSE(2015)
Summer Treehouse was written by Dr. Chad Floyd (b.1977), who currently serves as Professor of Percussion at Campbellsville University. Dr. Floyd holds his DMA from the University of Kentucky, and primarily studied with James Campbell, David A. Johnson, and Todd London It was written for a 4.3 octave marimba and woodblock placed between the low Eb and Gb bars. Summer Treehouse incorporates two and four mallet techniques and incorporates extended techniques like ghost notes and muting the bars with the body. Summer Treehouse was premiered in New York in December of 2015 by Andrea Venet, who is part of the Escape X Percussion Duo at the Eastman School of Music. Floyd writes, “the woodblock represents the hammering of a treehouse being built by a neighbor while the transparent melodic and harmonic content implies the emotions of the young children for whom the treehouse is being built.”
WATERCOLORSUN(2023)
Watercolor Sun was commissioned by the Grammy-winning ensemble Third Coast Percussion. It was written for the quartet to perform on one single 4.3 octave marimba. This piece was premiered at PASIC in 2023. The whole marimba is utilized, with two performers playing on the “right side” of the marimba, and two performers playing on the “wrong side” of the marimba to get the most out of one instrument. Trevino writes, “There are moments in life that create a feeling I can't quite describe. Like waking up in a sunlight room, or sharing a meal with old friends, or going on a road trip with someone you love. There's a jovial, euphoric feeling to it. I feel it when I catch the sunrise with my family, and I feel it when I play music too. Maybe it is gratitude, or peace, or something in between. Whatever this feeling is, it is at the heart of Watercolor Sun.”