June 30th, 2012 I was the concerto soloist in the premiere performance of 'Concertino for Park Bench and Strings' by Garry Jones. The bench is a public-installation marimba, made of untreated cedar that is weather-proof for 25 years. At Music New England's inaugural Event In A Tent, I played the concertino under a huge marquee in the middle of a field (Brattleboro, VT). Live video is above, photos below:
The bench had to be raised on four sections of log to be at a conventional marimba-playing height.
The natural notes of the marimba are a bench you can sit on; the accidental notes (black notes on a piano) were made especially for the performance so there could be a chromatic range.
The dark-brown knobs are a striking mechanism for the natural notes.
In the afternoon, I practised at the Harmonic Forge workshop.
The bench marimba has a range of just under 3 octaves -- each individual note is significantly wider than on a typical concert marimba.
Loaded into the back of a trailer for transport to the event.
The morning of the concerto I went for a dirt-road run and stopped at this bench by the river. It was flooded with sand.
Still scenic, however -- it's Vermont.
The Event's Tent!
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