jane boxall ~ marimba

Minneapolis clinic and concert photos

2011-11-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

Concert photography by Jill Dawe

Clinic photography by M.C. Barber

Thank you to Augsburg College for hosting, and Vic Firth for clinic support

District Drum Company snare drum review

2011-11-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

Drum Review – District Drum Company snare drum, 2011

I first saw a District Drum Company snare at the showcase concert for the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls in Williamsburg. I pretty much fell in love with it at first sight – it had a classy design reminiscent of some of my favorite vintage drums and a gorgeous, responsive tone at even the tap of a forefinger. The drum was in a silent auction and my friend Mindy Abovitz [editor of Tom Tom Magazine] outbid me at the last minute. I finally got over my regret at missing out on the drum when, some months later, I was offered an endorsement contract with District Drum Company. I giddily selected my snare’s dimensions, wrap and hardware options from many options – when I got back from playing at the Chicago Drum Show, the drum was sitting waiting on my porch.

Appearance

Straight out of the box from Berlin, Germany, the DDC snare was a total beauty. I’d chosen a 6.5 by 14 inch 10-ply North American Maple shell with a turquoise glass-glitter wrap and chrome hardware. Christina Bulaong built the drum beautifully – the angles are perfect, and the chrome and glitter really complement each other. On a visual level, the drum just pops and sparkles. The DDC badge has a classy, almost vintage-style design with a rising phoenix in relief below the drum’s vent hole. I may have let out an involuntary “squeeeeee!” when I unwrapped the drum for the first time.

Construction

I’m a drummer rather than a drum-builder, but I’ve played enough snares in my time that I know solid drum construction from shoddy. The DDC drum is built with the utmost care and attention to detail. The ten chrome lugs and heavy-duty, high-quality hardware make this snare drum quite heavy in weight – proof that it’s built to last and can take the “hard and heavy” playing style that Tina and myself have in common. Although rugged and built for heavy-duty drumming, the drum has delicate and stylish finishing work.

Tuning

The drum arrived with all ten lugs nicely in tune. Probably for the purposes of international shipping, the batter head was tuned lower than I would like, so a quick retune upwards in pitch had the drum ready to rock. I didn’t have to touch the tuning of the snare-side head, which was just where I wanted it. Within hours of the drum arriving, I slung it in the Big Heavy World van and hit the road for a New England minitour with my lady-punk band Doll Fight! Not only was the van’s air-conditioning out of action, the heater was set to high and wouldn’t turn off, pumping hot air into my boots as I drove south. By the time we got to Boston everything was more than a little sweaty, and my 1965 Ludwig kit needed some serious retuning at the venue. Probably because of its ten lugs and heavy die-cast hoops, my DDC held its tuning fantastically throughout the tour. Since then I’ve taken the DDC snare from Maine to Massachusetts and Burlington to Brooklyn – despite serious changes in environment and temperature it never needs more than a little fine-tuning between one gig and the next.

Voice

The pitch of the drum is warm and woody, and matches the woody sound of my vintage Ludwig kits brilliantly. I recorded drum tracks for Doll Fight!’s upcoming EP Revolution Doll Style Now at Own Risk studios in Shelburne, Vermont – engineer Scott McGrath noted the DDC snare was very “well-behaved” in a recording situation. There was no need to EQ out the ringing pitches inherent in the metal snare I’d used on our previous recording -- the DDC snare has a full, brilliant and hard sound that retains the sonic fingerprint of a wooden shell. Snares off, the pitch and tone of the DDC snare blend nicely with my 12 and 16-inch toms. Often, I like to use snares-off snare drum with the toms in multipercussion-style grooves that contrast with typical kick-snare-hat layered beats.

Flavors

The “extra bits” on the drum allow for a rich and varied palette of tones and sounds. I like to use the outer edges of the snare head for soft or distant-sounding ghost-notes or patterns, and with the Aquarian Hi-Velocity batter head the tone of the drum is really consistent between the center and edge of the head. When I play a rhythm from the center of the snare out to the very edge, it just sounds like I turned the volume down – there’s no awkward switch in timbre between the different areas of the drum. The rim-shots are fat and heavy, and the ghostnotes have the same color as the full snare sound whether played in the center, the 9 o’clock, 12 o’clock or 6 o’clock position on the drum. I used all types of ghostnotes when I sat in on live drums with central-Massachusetts electro duo Every Other Country, and the consistency of the ghostnotes – with sticks, brushes or dowel rods – was impressive. The Puresound snare wires are responsive and warm, without losing any of the bite on the drum’s attack.

Projection

At the drum, the projection is big and solid – more so than I would expect for a snare of these dimensions. Other drummers in the audience – after drooling a bit as I take the snare out of its case -- tell me the drum speaks clearly in any setting, whether through the distorted guitars and screamed vocals of Doll Fight! or the trombone, horns and layered vocals of Julia Josephine Slone’s seven-piece soul band. At a bar gig in Montpelier, Vermont, I lent my DDC drum to my drummer spouse Michael Allen (undoubtedly the only other drummer I’d trust to play my precious snare!) then wandered around the venue hearing the un-miced drum cut through consistently whether I was by the stage, in the bathroom or way in the back.

All in All

There is only one thing I would change about the DDC snare if I could, and it’s purely cosmetic. The badge is positioned to face forwards when the snares run from the 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock position (from the player’s perspective). I like to play with the snares running noon to 6 o’clock, because I want to remain over the snare when I move between the center of the drum and the noon-edge playing position, for consistency of tone. Also, I have short legs and don’t like the throwoff jabbing me in the right thigh when I’m playing double kick. So once I rotated the batter head for my preferred snare orientation, the drum badge sits off to the side rather than being visible. A minor and nerdy concern to have! When I get my next DDC snare to add to the family, maybe Tina can switch the badge position. Regardless of badge-position nitpicking, this drum’s a beauty and a rock beast to boot.

Jane Boxall, October 28, 2011

marimba mail october 2011

2011-09-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ed and Candace at the Drum Exchange for their hospitality, and as always to Vic Firth for clinic support. Also to the gentleman who brought me bacon-themed bandaids to the second clinic of the day -- the perfect surprise gift for the 8-mallet marimbist... I also got to hang around in Seattle WA, Portland OR and, um, Boston Logan airport on the same trip. Great to see a bit of the West Coast.

DOLL FIGHT! played for audiences of 15 to 1,500 this month in Vermont and Brooklyn.

MARIMBA RAGTIME is always fun. Last night I played a set at Wake Robin, Shelburne, VT. I love playing for people who share their memories of ragtime and jazz when it was new music. Thanks to the Vermont Symphony Orchestra for arranging that (and future) marimba gigs.

~~~to the future!~~~

Ricochet Duo, my piano-marimba project with Rose Chancler, is playing Augsburg College in Minneapolis (MN) 3pm Sunday October 16th. Repeating the same program -- music by Kevin Puts, Vida Chenoweth, Chen Yi, Marc Mellitts, Astor Piazzolla, Ludwig Albert, Eleonor Sandresky and Darius Milhaud -- October 22 and 23 at the Hand House in Elizabethtown, NY.

Marimba from 0 to 8 mallets will take place as a clinic session Monday October 17th, 5.30pm at Augsburg College, Minneapolis.

Drumshtick rolls (pun intended) back into action this month, with schools percussion workshops throughout the state of Vermont.

Doll Fight! play at Burlington's Higher Ground on October 7th and return to Fitchburg, MA October 21st.

I'll be teaching a private studio of drum and marimba students in Burlington VT throughout the Fall. Lessons start Wednesday October 5th.

Should be just about enough to keep me out of mischief, eh?

Til next time,

Jane
janeboxall.com

marimba ragtime!

2010-06-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

In the 1920s and 1930s -- the early days of radio broadcasting -- the xylophone was one of the most popular instruments on the radio. The crisp brilliant sound of the wooden bars came through the earphones and primitive speakers with a clarity that other instruments lacked. Rags were always a favorite source of material for xylophone solos. Performers including George Hamilton Green and Harry Breuer played ragtime music on the radio for enthusiastic audiences, and also gave live performances at dances and other events.

In the twenty-first century, marimbist Jane Boxall delves into the rich, engaging ragtime repertoire, performing the music of Green, Breuer, Joplin and others on a vintage (1926) Deagan xylorimba -- half xylophone, half marimba. Jane's fast-paced, toe-tappin' ragtime set can also feature special collaborations with pianist Rose Chancler (Jane's partner in piano-marimba project Ricochet Duo) and drummer Michael Allen.

www.janeboxall.com

www.ricochetduo.com

Full Battery

2010-06-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

"Killer technique and inspired musicality"

DRUM! magazine

Starting in summer 2010, Jane Boxall offers a new drumkit workshop/clinic/performance.

The dynamic power and raw energy of live drumming combine with electronic music ranging from old-school rave to drum'n'bass and techno.

Full Battery is a high-energy, bombastic live performance, featuring lightning-speed drumming and razor-sharp rhythmic precision.

An educational component of the presentation shows young or intermediate drummers how the most basic beats and rudiments can be used at many speeds and in different styles of music, to great effect.

Now taking bookings for 2010 and 2011!

www.janeboxall.com
www.vicfirth.com

marimba mail june 2010

2010-06-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

Happy summer, marimba mailers!

Hope you're enjoying the season -- I did my first bit of real gardening today since the 1990s, and it was a treat. A variety of worms and caterpillars were somewhat irritated by my gung-ho digging.

~~~moving in~~~
Michael and I bought a house in Vermont. The marimba, of course, occupies the largest room. This means I can now practice without hitting any walls. Huzzah!

~~~moving on~~~
No more day job for me -- I quit the law firm and am going 100% freelance as a musician and writer. No better time to do this than when freshly be-mortgaged, eh?

~~~moving around~~~
No June gigs as I will variously be gracing Iceland, England and Scotland with my presence, but the calendar is filling up for the rest of the year. July sees solo marimba performances and the debut of my live-drums+rave project, which I'll be delivering as a drum clinic in Brooklyn, New York. I still need a name for this project -- all suggestions gratefully received! In August I'll be piano/marimba duelling in the Northeast and studying marimba ragtime in Delaware with Bob Becker of Nexus. September sees some marimba action over in Europe, and US touring is shaping up for the autumn/fall and early 2011. I'm stocking up on plasters and Sudocrem already.

Until next time, take care,

Jane

www.janeboxall.com

one-sheet

2009-02-24T04:56:00.000-08:00

Jane Boxall ~ solo marimba

Marimbist Jane Boxall is an international concert artist. Born in the UK, Jane completed Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music at the University of York, before relocating to the USA. She studied with renowned percussionist William Moersch at the University of Illinois, earning a Doctorate in Percussion Performance. Jane has performed and toured in the US, UK, Italy, Belgium, France and Ireland. Currently living in Burlington, Vermont (USA), she is an enthusiastic music educator, working with students from pre-school to University level. Jane plays and endorses Coe Percussion.

Album ‘Spherical Music’ features exclusive recordings of early marimba compositions and brand new commissions.

Available online:
www.myspace.com/janeboxallmarimba
http://www.amazon.com/

Reviews:

***precise technique and superb musicianship***Chicago Tribune March 2008

***a diminutive performer who harnesses the sound of the marimba like a lion tamer***www.smilepolitely.com April 2008

***Boxall’s playing has a very high standard and her musicality speaks clearly throughout every piece***Percussive Notes

***marimba virtuoso Jane Boxall delighted a capacity audience***www.ccanw.co.uk Sept 2007

Forthcoming performances:
May 16, 2009 @ Chicago Drum Show (USA)
July 2009 – UK and European tour

contact/booking/interviews:
janeboxallmarimba_at_gmail.com (replace "_at_" with "@" to send email)
www.myspace.com/janeboxallmarimba

Performance Possibilities

2009-02-24T04:54:00.002-08:00

Jane Boxall ~ marimba ~ Performance Possibilities

Solo marimba performances

Generally between 30 minutes and 2 hours in duration.

· Music from Five Continents program
includes diverse marimba works by composers from Australia, North and South America, Europe and Japan.
· Music by Women Composers program
includes extremely rare marimba pieces written between 1945 and 2008. Composers include Keiko Abe (Japan), Vida Chenoweth (USA), Anna Ignatowicz (Poland), Eve Belgarian (USA), Nancy Van de Vate (US/Austria), and Victoria Poleva (Ukraine).
· Drumarimba program
includes pieces in which Jane plays drums and marimba simultaneously, with CD backing tracks, and with drumkit accompaniment from Michael Allen. Musical styles include contemporary classical, jazz, electronic and dance music.
· Kindermarimba program
is designed with young children in mind. A selection of short, characterful pieces are interspersed with opportunities for audience participation (body percussion, singing, movement) and musical stories.
· Marimba Atmosphere program
is ideally suited to luncheons, wine-tastings, functions, art openings, weddings, dinners or other situations where music serves a background purpose. Evocative marimba compositions, alongside transcriptions of classical pieces from Bach to Bartok, create a unique atmosphere. Special requests can be accommodated with advance notice.

Duo recitals
Jane is pleased for opportunities to share recitals with pianist Rose Chancler Feinbloom.

Marimba clinics, workshops and masterclasses
· Presentations can be one to three hours long. (Two hours is most common).
· Jane can tailor a clinic or master class to particular groups of marimbists and percussionists at a university, college, or high school.
· The difference between a "clinic" and "master class" is that the latter includes performances by a few students who wish to receive feedback. Students observing usually benefit from this as well.
· All sessions usually begin with a ten to 20-minute performance by Jane, which is followed by a presentation on various topics. She encourages questions and discussion.

Marimba demonstration for Composers
Includes a ten to 20-minute performance and talk on basic considerations when scoring for marimba. Jane will sight-read and comment on any sketches students have composed for marimba.

references

2009-02-24T04:54:00.001-08:00

Jane Boxall ~ marimba ~ Concert Bookers’ references

Children’s concert at Urbana Free Library, Illinois (2007)

“Jane's concert for our children's series was captivating, enthrallingchildren as young as one with her rhythmical and melodic forty-fiveminute performance. Listeners who have never considered the marimba as a solo instrument will be true believers after hearing Jane. If she still lived in the area, I would book her again withouthesitation. She is a top-notch musician with a top-notch personality,bringing warmth and passion to her performances. Jane is a trulygifted artist who I have no doubt will someday grace some of theworld's best performance halls.”

Elaine Bearden Children's Librarian, The Urbana Free Library urbanafreelibrary.org

To Whom It May Concern:

Jane Boxall is an exceptional marimba player I was privileged to present for two consecutive years in the Boneyard Arts Festival’s Late Night spACE, an immersive arts event which featured live music, projection arts, dance, performance, installations and visual art. One objective in curating this event for 40N88W --Champaign County Arts, Culture and Entertainment Council-- was to present together a dynamic range of eclectic local and national performers. Ms. Boxall’s superbly executed and thoughtful programs of commissioned works and modern scores for solo marimba proved to be an engaging highlight for audiences experiencing in the same event the likes of the prog-rock band vonFrickle and Vernon Reid’s Verntronics AV in 2008, or Bradford Reed and his Amazing Pencilina in 2007. I highly recommend Ms. Boxall for your festival.

Sincerely,

Jason Finkelman

Curator
Sudden Sound Concert Series, Krannert Art Museum
Global Transfer Series, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Boneyard Arts Festival Late Night space

-

About the Marimba

2009-02-24T04:52:00.000-08:00

Marimba FAQ’s (see http://www.nancyzeltsman.com/)

"Where did the instrument originate?"
The marimba's roots are ancient, as a folk instrument in the cultures of Africa, Latin America and Asia. The first crude beginnings of the marimba were several slabs of wood placed on sticks set over a hole in the ground which served as a resonating chamber. Later, slabs of wood were suspended over large gourds or wooden boxes which served to enhance the tone. Sources differ on the specific area in which the marimba originated; however, the frontrunners in this debate are Africa and the highlands of Guatemala. The modern Western concert marimba is quite different from these original folk instruments. The development of the modern marimba in this hemisphere can be traced to the Central American marimba builders, notably Sebastian Hurtado, who developed a chromatic arrangement of the bars laid out like the piano keyboard during the 1890s. In 1880, John Calhoun Deagan founded the first U.S. company to manufacture percussion instruments, and built the first real precursor to the modern Western marimba in Chicago around 1910.

"Is the marimba what Lionel Hampton played in jazz?"
No - he played a vibraphone. It's a close relative of the marimba with keys arranged the same way, like a piano keyboard, but the vibraphone's keys are made out of metal. Another difference is that the vibraphone has a pedal which can be used for sustain like the pedal on a piano. It also has a motor which can be turned on to rotate discs (one at the top of each resonator tube) which leave-open and close-off the resonators. This gives the impression of vibrato — which is how the instrument got its name.

"Well then, what is a xylophone?"
The xylophone is another close relative of the marimba — like the marimba, its keys are also made of wood and it has no sustain pedal or motorized "vibrato"-discs. However, the xylophone's range includes a full octave above the marimba's — which means it extends up to the top note of a piano.

"What is the marimba made out of?"
The keys are usually made of rosewood, most of which comes from Guatemala. The frame of the marimba could be made out of anything (various woods or synthetics); it doesn't affect the sound in any way. Most resonator pipes are made of aluminum. On some marimbas they are made of brass (but these can be extremely heavy and difficult to move).

"What do the pipes hanging down do?"
They amplify the resonance of the bar. Without the resonators, the bars of the marimba do not make much sound.

"What do you call the hammers or sticks you're playing with, and why are the heads different colors?"
They're called mallets. Frequently, they are different colors simply as a coding system for mallets of varying hardness. In general, softer mallets are most flattering to the lowest notes on the marimba, and harder mallets are most flattering to the higher notes. Players can achieve a wide range of different tone colors by their choice of different mallets, in conjunction the specific type of stroke they use to bring the mallets into contact with the keys.

Repertoire list

2009-02-24T04:43:00.000-08:00

Jane Boxall ~ marimba ~ Selected Repertoire

Marimba solo

Trilogy by Dave Maric*
Canyon by Kevin Puts
Invention 1 by Vida Chenoweth
▪ Warm Wind by Victoria Poleva
▪ Thoughts of Home by Marty McCrory
Voice of Matsuri Drums by Keiko Abe
Suite for Marimba by Nancy Van de Vate
Chain by Kazunori Miyake
Merlin by Andrew Thomas
Reflections on the Nature of Water by Andrew Thomas
For Marimba and Tape by Martin Wesley-Smith*
White Knight and Beaver by Martin Wesley-Smith*
Spherical Music by Eve Beglarian*
Toccata by Anna Ignatowicz
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GqtX__H-A8 )
▪ Wood Water and Land by Beata Moon
▪ Haikus I-III by Amy Preece
▪ The Game with the Rain by Maria Karpova
Zamba para Escuchar tu Silencio by Guillo Espel
Kaskada by Eckhard Kopetzski
Birdscape by Takashi Yoshimatsu
Prelude by J. S. Bach
Dream of the Cherry Blossoms by Keiko Abe
Ghanaia by Matthias Schmitt
Rotation no 1 by Eric Sammut
Rotation no 4 by Eric Sammut
Wind Across Mountains by Keiko Abe
Rhythm Song by Paul Smadbeck
Ripple by Akira Miyoshi
Two Movements for Marimba by Toshimitsu Tanaka
Memory of the Woods by Akemi Naito
Popcorn II by Chiel Meijering
Two Impressions by Tracy Thomas
Vidala del Martirio de los Brujos by Guillo Espel
Kaleidoscope II by Sadao Bekku

With piano

Ritual Protocol by Kevin Puts
Hommage a Bartok by Vida Chenoweth
Miniatures by Eloise [Matthies] Niwa
Country Dances by Eloise [Matthies] Niwa
Pleiades Dances by Takayoshi Yoshioka
▪Quay by Giovanni Mancuso
▪ Kalakala by Elvio Cipollone
Matres Dance by John Psathas

With flute/saxophone

Proteus by Per Norgard
Song Book by David Maslanka
Ecologue by Teruyuki Noda

Marimba/percussion duo

Ultimatum II by Nebojsa Zivkovic
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YKFD1w_XHQ )
Nagoya Marimbas by Steve Reich

Percussion solo

Steal the Thunder by Jean Piche*
13 Drums by Maki Ishii
Taking Sides by Damien Harron*
She who sleeps with a small blanket by Kevin Volans

Drumkit

Horsepower (CD album) by Triple Whip
Snake Creeps Down (CD EP) by Triple Whip
Get Set (CD album) by The Sea Set
Brutal Tinkerbell (CD single) by Brutal Tinkerbell
York Millennium Mystery Plays (CD album) OST

(▪ commissioned by Jane)
(* with electronics)

Full Biography

2009-02-24T04:41:00.000-08:00

Jane Boxall ~solo marimba ~ full biography

Dr. Jane Boxall (b. 1980) is an award-winning international concert artist. Born in southeast England, Jane’s most prized childhood possession was an eight-note xylophone on which she played energetically and endlessly. When Jane was 11, she jumped at the chance to actually learn how to play percussion, via school lessons with Ron Forbes (previous teacher of superstar percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie). Acing the audition with her ability to move hands and feet simultaneously, Jane went on to perform with various regional groups, including (aged 12) a performance with Ron Forbes’ percussion ensemble in the Royal Festival Hall, London.
Living on a farm, there were few distractions from music practice, and Jane “entertained” her family (and cattle) with enthusiastic drumkit practice throughout her teens. During her last year of secondary school, Jane discovered keyboard percussion, and would spend hours of each day in a school cupboard bashing a vintage vibraphone. Often, these were the same hours during which she was meant to be in Statistics class. Deciding to study music at college, Jane spent most of the next three years in a cupboard at the University of York, where she got to practice marimba for the first time. Falling in love with the warm sound and the melodic possibilities of the marimba, Jane went on to earn a MA in Contemporary Percussion Performance, with a heavy focus on solo marimba music. Largely self-taught during her BA, Jane gained a lot during her MA from study with percussionist Damien Harron, co-founder of BackBeat percussion quartet.

A marimba fanatic by day, Jane spent her nights behind the drumkit. Jane’s drumming with folk-grungers Heroic Trio was deemed ‘spectacular… powerful and impressive’ by York’s Vision magazine, while leedsmusicscene.co.uk noted Jane as ‘one of the most inventive percussionists I've witnessed’ during her tenure with Riot-Grrl trio Brutal Tinkerbell. Around this time, Jane also started teaching in local schools, and was the percussion head honcho at Queen Margaret’s School (York) and Leeds Grammar School. Professionally, she co-founded percussion quartet Big Bang Theory, and piano-percussion duo Jalapeno. Both ensembles were active in commissioning and performing new music, and Jalapeno performed regionally within the UK, and in Italy.
In 2004 Jane was offered the Swanson Fellowship for doctoral percussion studies at the University of Illinois, USA, so she sold her beautiful though unwieldy Malletech marimba and relocated to the cornfields of Champaign-Urbana. Here she studied with, and later taught alongside, renowned percussion professors William Moersch, Ricardo Flores, and Dana Hall. Jane’s doctoral thesis was on the topic of marimba music by women composers, and as part of this project she commissioned brand new works from composers living in Russia, the US, UK, and Ukraine. Jane also remained active as a teacher. She was an adjunct percussion professor at Olivet Nazarene University, and taught several hundred students via Skins-n-Tins Drum Shop, Champaign, and the Illinois Summer Youth Music program.

In 2006, Jane was a prizewinner in Illinois’ Krannert Debut Artist Competition, performing a showcase concert in Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Urbana IL. At the time of this award, Illinois newspaper The News Gazette quoted a judge of the competition: ‘[Jane is] a quintessentially natural performer. . . Incredible presence. Her body sings with movement and pure joy. She bowled [us] over with her musicality and her extramusical capacity to communicate’. In the Urbana-Champaign area, Jane would play frequently in concert halls, music festivals, art galleries, bars, cafes, elementary schools and kindergartens. UK solo tours took in Manchester University, Sheffield Cathedral, Devon’s Centre for Contemporary Arts and the Natural World, and St. Agnes’ Church in central London.

Always overwhelmed and humbled by the positive response of diverse audiences to the sound of the marimba, Jane is equally active in the realms of classical and popular music. Rock and pop musicians Jane has collaborated with include singer-songwriter Lynn O’Brien, indie-rock band Shipwreck, and country artist Angie Heaton. While in Illinois, Jane was the drummer for Triple Whip, a rock trio that evolved into an ‘ultra-tight, ultra-loud’ bass-drum duo. Drumming at a Triple Whip gig one Halloween, dressed somewhat impractically as a green-winged fairy, Jane caught the attention of Chicago drummer Michael Allen. Jane and Michael married in 2007.
Also in 2007, Jane became an endorser of Coe Percussion, and took delivery of her custom-built five-octave Coe marimba. This proved to be a gorgeous instrument with an extremely practical design for solo gigging (instrument design is a serious consideration when your instrument is 9ft long and you are 5ft4).

Since associating with Coe Percussion, Jane has played at The Hand House (Elizabethtown, NY), Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), Cowan Civic Center Theater (Lebanon, MO), Boneyard Arts Festival (Champaign, IL), Aroma Cafe (Champaign, IL) , Music Matters (Batavia, IL), Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, IL), and Smith Recital Hall (Urbana, IL). She also used her Coe marimba to record her debut album, ‘Spherical Music’ in summer 2008. This album features premiere recordings of early marimba compositions by Vida Chenoweth and Eloise Matthies Niwa, and recent commissions by international composers. The title track, composed by Eve Beglarian, saw Jane record 12 overlaid marimba parts, one after the other.
‘Spherical Music’ has received radio play from WPRB (Princeton, New Jersey), Concertzender (Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Radio Mona Lisa (Amsterdam, Netherlands), while Jane’s live recordings have been aired by WPGU (Champaign, IL), BBC Radio Devon (Devon, UK), and WEFT (Champaign, IL). A review published in Innocent Words magazine said: ‘The instrument has a natural quality, simply the vibration that occurs when mallets hit wood. It could probably sound clunky in unskilled hands, but Boxall makes it sound light and rhythmic, as if she’s controlling a storm of falling raindrops...sometimes the quick notes make it hard to believe everything is performed by a single person’.

In 2008 Jane left Illinois and relocated to beautiful Burlington, Vermont. Continuing to perform, record and tour as a soloist both regionally and internationally, Jane is also excited to have started two new collaborations – a duo with pianist Rose Chancler Feinbloom, and a drumkit-marimba project with Michael Allen. In the future, Jane hopes to continue bringing new music to new audiences.

Performance Fees

2009-02-24T04:37:00.000-08:00

Jane Boxall ~ marimba ~ Performance Fees

Solo marimba performances

Depending on the venue, a sliding scale operates for performances between 30 minutes and 120 minutes duration.
Jane will perform at reduced rates at certain educational institutions, and will play without charge at certain residential institutions.

Marimba clinics, workshops and masterclasses/ Marimba demonstration for Composers
Booked together with a concert performance:
30-180 minutes: possible at $50, preferred at $150

Information for performances outside the US/Canada
Generally, the prices above will be the same in Euros or Pounds Sterling. Other currencies are negotiable. Discounts are available where an institution can provide a marimba or percussion instruments for performance.

If you are interested in hosting a marimba performance, please contact Jane to discuss booking options:

janeboxallmarimba_at_gmail.com (replace "_at_" with "@" to send email)