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"impressive...a refreshingly diverse new musical encounter" -Los Angeles Times
The Robin Cox Ensemble is an interesting and accessible quartet featuring the unique, and surprisingly satisfying combination of marimba, hand drums, and cello. Hear them on a fine 2000 CD, in which aspects of jazz, world music, and even pinches of the Frank Zappa-esque can be discerned. They also surf post-minimalist turf, with undulating phrases á la Steve Reich. The music is smart, but also warm to the ears."
-Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara Independent
"Outstanding Classical Ensemble/Artist Nominee" -Los Angeles Weekly Music Awards 2003
"The combination of two string instruments and percussion is quite unique in that the potential for interesting sounds is unlimited. Because of the timbre differences of the strings and the percussion instruments, they never get in each other's way. ...Cox takes full advantage of these differences and has composed music full of energy, interesting sounds, and rhythmic intensity. ...All the musicians are excellent on their instruments, and Cox is a fine composer." -John Beck, Percussive Notes
“Artful, distinctive, and quite listenable” –Greg Burk, Los Angeles Weekly
[on 10/03 performances at New York City's St. Mark's Performance Space] "Excellent music lived throughout, courtesy of Robin Cox up in the loft with his Ensemble ...compelling strings and mallets. Cox's chops ...make him a catch of a composer and performer." -Tom Patrick, The Dance Insider
"Charging the intimate space with the kind of immediacy only live music can deliver" -Elizabeth Schwyzer, Santa Barbara Independent
"The Robin Cox Ensemble may very well be predisposed to monopolize the esoteric niche of string and percussion quartets, and judging from their new CD Level 7, why shouldn’t they? Owing in part to a nicely taut performance by the ensemble, Joseph Koykkar’s Music for Mallets and Strings showcases the surprisingly homogeneous qualities shared by the disparate instrumentation. In the case of Evan Ziporyn’s What She Saw There, the solo cello often cuts against the ostinatos established by the marimbas, creating a congenial tension. The most unique handling of the group appears in Quickly Casual, a spunky piece full of odd motifs and evocative instrumental color. Pieces by the ensemble’s founder and violinist—yes, Robin Cox—as well as Leslie Hogan complete this enjoyable collection."-Randy Nordschow, NewMusicBox
"Local heroes" -Alan Rich, of the Los Angeles Weekly
"The sonic terrain resulting from the group instrumentation is mined in several interesting ways. In Volt, Cox uses a reverse idiom approach, writing percussively for violin and cello, thus avoiding role playing, as he terms it, in which those instruments are given sweeping string gestures. It is not surprising that all the works are scored for mallet-keyboard instruments (either marimba with vibraphone or two marimbas) in a variety of settings, from Cox's secco, staccato writing for vibraphone and marimba in “Escher,” or the lurching accompaniment provided by two marimbas in “What She Saw There” that provides an interesting assault on time by keeping the marimbas out of phase both with each other and the solo cello until all parts reconcile in a unison rhythmic statement at the very end, to the spirited, rhythmically driven perpetuum mobile in “Music for Mallets and Strings” that affords one of the disc’s most enjoyable moments. Marimbas are used subtly but effectively in “Thirty-Five” to establish a light, relaxed mood in this “music for cruising.” And, in “Quickly Casual,” ostinatos played by marimba are utilized as a major compositional device. For percussionists, perhaps the most encouraging aspect of this disc is that it identifies “music for strings and percussion” as a genre in its own right that justifies an ensemble specifically dedicated to its performance, one that invites the creation of new music involving percussion performance." -John R. Raush, Percussive Notes Journal
"The Robin Cox Ensemble is a unique new music group that combines violin, cello, percussion, and live electronics to create vivid performances of new music. ...including on this--the group's second CD -the marvelous Evan Ziporyn."-Sequenza 21 Magazine's "Editor's Pick"
Best of 2000 Recordings List - Pushing the Envelope/ WHUS Radio
"The use of percussion can't help but draw up images of Tom Waits at times, particularly with mallet instrument ostinati. This music is well written, impeccably performed, and varied in mood and timbre." -Creative New Music
Composers commissioned by RCE for new works
Dan Becker -Clockwork (2007)
Ryan Brown -Big Dig (2006)
Carolyn Bremer -Peanut Jelly and Butter (2004)
Richard Cooper -Velocity State (2003)
Daniel Felsenfled -All Tomorrow's Parties (RCE arrangement) (2010)
John Halle -Homage (2007)
Ed Harsh -Three Times (2007)
Leslie Hogan -Thirty Five (2000)
Melissa Hui -Swing (2007)
Joseph Koyykar -Music for Mallets and Strings (2001)
Hye Kyung Lee -Quickly Casual (2001)
Marc Mellits -Shredded Paranoid Cheese (2007)
Amy X Neuburg -Zenonos Khoros (2008)
Belinda Reynolds -Path (2007)
Bill Ryan -I Left Her Dancing (2008)
Alan Shockely -War Pigs (arrengement for RCE) (2010)
Randolph Wolff -Holding Fast (2007)
Carolyn Yarnell -Catalina/iMagic (2007)
Pamela Z -Six Degrees of Non-Sequiturization (2006)
Georege Wheeler -El Sueno De La Razon (2011)
Choreographers collaborating with RCE
Loretta Livingston-1) Move, Let Us Listen (2002)
an evening length performance piece 2) Leaving (Evidence) (2003)
an evening length performance piece, 3) Read the Bones (2003)
an evening length performance piece with the ensemble percussionists, 4) 199 a live performance piece for U. California -Irvine Dance Dept. and the ensemble
Stephanie Nugent 1) Small Spaces (2008), 2) Potter's Wheel (1996), 3) Treading the Balance (1997), 4) works performed on numerous concerts by Nugent and RCE
Catey Ott and Eun Jung Gonzalez- Locus (2003)
an evening of live performance pieces choreographed by Gonzalez and Ott for performance with ensemble at St. Mark's Church in NYC
Jerry Pearson- 1) Underlie (2002) a live performance piece for Santa Barbara Dance Theatre and the ensemble, 2) Surya Namaskara (2003) a live performance piece for Santa Barbara Dance Theatre and the ensemble |
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Mixed-Media works commissioned by RCE in collaboration with the music of Robin Cox
Judy Bauerlein-Directions to Keep From Falling (2004)
text written and performed live by Bauerlein with the ensemble
Kwame Braun 1) New Year's Harmattan (2004)
a film created by Braun for live performance with the ensemble 2) Fred Jamner Portrait (2006) soundtrack for a Holocaust survivor documentary
Speaking of Stories and director Maggie Mixsell (2005)
an evening length production of music by Robin Cox with live narration of ancient fairy tales
Other Musicians Sharing Concerts with RCE
Todd Reynolds (2009)
Andrew Russo (2009)
Alan Terricciano (2008-9)
Amy X Neuburg (2008, 2011)
Eclipse String Quartet (2007)
Scott Deal (2006-7)
Pamela Z (2006, 2011)
Eve Beglarian and Sarah Cahill (2004-05)
Gove County String Quartet (2003)
Art Jarvinen and Eric Barber- We Are Not Mailmen (2002)
Brad Dutz and Friends (2001)
Ensemble Green (2000, 2002)
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Music by Other Composers
John Luther Adams -The Light That Fills The World
Javier Alvarez -Temazcal
B52's/Evan Ziporyn -Deadbeat Club
Dan Becker -Clockwork *
Eve Beglarian -Cave (video by Clifton Taylor)
Eve Beglarian -Landscaping for Privacy
Eve Beglarian -Lullaby
Eve Beglarian -Until It Blazes (video by Cory Arcangel)
Eve Beglarian -Five Things (video by Judson Wright)
Eve Beglarian -Michael's Spoon (video by Michelle Manno)
Phillip Bimstein -Garland Hirshi's Cows
Black Sabbath -War Pig's (arranged by Alan Shockley)
Carolyn Bremer -Peanut Jelly and Butter * (video by Carolyn Bremer)
Ryan Brown -Big Dig *
Richard Cooper -Velocity State *
Libby Larsen -Corker
George Crumb -Sonata for Cello
Scott Deal -Cocolithophore
Daniel Felsenfeld/Velvet Underground -All Tomorrow’s Parties
Michael Gordon -Light Is Calling
Mark Grey -Grinder
John Halle -Homage *
Melissa Hui -Swing
Tayloe Harding -Fiddlehead
Ed Harsh -Three Times *
Leslie Hogan -Thirty Five * **
Joseph Kasinskas -The Rider
Joesph Koyykar -Music for Mallets and Strings * **
Hye Kyung Lee -Quickly Casual * **
Marc Mellits -Shredded Paranoid Cheese *
Amy X Neuburg -Zenonos Khoros *
Amy X Neuburg -Difficult
Amy X Neuburg -The Gooseneck
Amy X Neuburg -Be Careful
Amy X Neuburg - This Loud
Radiohead/Ed Ruchalski -Street Spirit
Steve Reich -Music for Pieces of Wood
Steve Reich -Marimba Phase
Steve Reich -New York Counterpoint
Belinda Reynolds -Dust
Belinda Reynolds -Path *
Belinda Reynolds -Between You and Me (video by Erin Martinez)
Todd Reynolds -Outerborough (video by Bill Morrison)
Todd Reynolds -Requiem (video by Luke R, Dubois)
Terry Riley -In C
Bill Ryan -Blurred
Bill Ryan -Simple Lines
Bill Ryan -I Left Her Dancing *
Karen Tanaka -The Song of Songs
George Wheeler -El Sueno De La Razon *
Randall Wolff -Holding Fast (video by Mary Harron/John C. Walsh)
Carolyn Yarnell -Catalina/iMagic *
Pamela Z -Six Degrees of Non-Sequiturization *
Pamela Z -Dr. Melfi
Evan Ziporyn -What She Saw There **
*commissioned by the ensemble
**recorded by the ensemble for CD release
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Music by Robin Cox
HEX
Zeros Are Complicated
HOURGLASS
Joze
RPM **
For Tomorrow **
Everywhere **
Levitation Games **
Faster Than That **
Drive **
Five Reasons to Move
Midnight
Volt **
Escher **
Bellow **
Near Miss
SQ
Square Feet **
Widget **
Echo **
Katong **
Aria **
199
if dogs only knew **
Twitch **
Glide **
Reflections on Olivet **
Collaborative Works with Music by Robin Cox
New Year's Harmattan (with video artist Kwame Braun)
Treading the Balance (with choreographer Stephanie Nugent)
Surya Namaskara (with choreographer Jerry Pearson)
Underlie (with choreographer Jerry Pearson)
Leaving (Evidence) (with choreographer Loretta Livingston)
Directions to Keep From Falling (with playwright Judy Bauerlein)
Small Spaces (with choreographer Stephanie Nugent)
Potter's Wheel (with choreographer Stephanie Nugent)
Twice Told Tales (with Speaking of Stories)
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2011
1/20 California Institute of the Arts -Valencia, CA
2/4 Miles Memorial Playhouse -Santa Monica
2/6 student composer workshop at California State Univ. Los Angeles
2/7 performance at California State University Los Angeles
3/1 California State University w/ Amy X Neuburg –Long Beach
3/3 University of California- Irvine w/ Amy X Neuburg –Long Beach
5/2 student composer recordings at California State Univ. Los Angeles
5/22 ARC -Pasadena, CA
7/8-9 Z Programs Series w/ Pamela Z & Amy X Neuburg -San Francisco
August recording of HOURGLASS
9/15 California Institute of the Arts -Valencia, CA
10/14 Berkeley Art Museum
11/9 Royal T/Angel City Arts -Culver City, CA |
2010
1/29 Miles Memorial Playhouse -Santa Monica
8/28 Miles Memorial Playhouse -Santa Monica
8/29 ARC -Pasadena, CA
9/16 California Institute of the Arts -Valencia, CA
10/25 Fullerton College
11/1 California State University –Long Beac |
2009
January -recorded Leslie Hogan's work Grafitti
1/30 California State University w/ Todd Reynolds –Long Beach
March -recorded Alan Terricciano's work Sextet
4/4 University of California- Irvine w/ Alan Terricciano
5/3 Arena One, Santa Monica, CA
July/August recorded six works for the ensemble CD Faster Than That
7/13 Miles Memorial Playhouse w/ Andrew Russo -Santa Monica
8/16 Miles Memorial Playhouse w/ Todd Reynolds -Santa Monica
10/20 California State University w/ Andrew Russo –Long Beach |
2008
January -recorded Cox's work for Nugent Dance's Small Spaces
2/15-16 Contemporary Arts Forum w/ Amy X Neuburg -Santa Barbara
4/7 California State University –Long Beach
4/19-20 Miles Memorial Playhouse Amy X Neuburg -Santa Monica
4/5 California State University –Long Beach
9/19 Ford Amphitheater with Backhausdance -Holllywood, CA
10/18 Arena One, Santa Monica, CA
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2007
1/26-27 Miles Memorial Playhouse -Santa Monica
3/23-24 Royce Gallery, San Francisco w/ Pamela Z
4/29 Center Stage Theater, w/ percussionist Scott Deal -Santa Barbara
11/9-10 Contemporary Arts Forum -Santa Barbara
December -recorded Cox's Square Feet for Groove Note Records |
2006
1/26 Loyola Marymount University -Los Angeles
1/31-2/1 Center Stage Theater, with Nugent Dance, Santa Barbara
2/8 Culver City Hotel Definiens Project concert series, Culver City, CA
2/18 Disney Hall RedCat Theater -Cold Blue Records Night, Los Angeles
3/20-21 residency at Transylvania University -Lexington, KY
3/22-23 residency at Berea College -Berea, KY
4/10 University of North Florida -Jacksonville, FL
4/12 University of Miami -Coral Gables, FL
5/26-27 Focus Fish Performance Space, w/ Nugent Dance -Hollywood
6/2-3 Center Stage Theater, with Pamela Z -Santa Barbara
11/20 California State University –Long Beach |
2005
1/28-1/29 New Langton Arts with Eve Beglarian/Sarah Cahill, San Francisco
1/31-2/5 Univ. of Alaska -Fairbanks residency
5/7 Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica
5/14 Center Stage Theater, Santa Barbara
10/24 California State University –Long Beach
10/28-30 Center Stage Theater, Santa Barbara w/ Speaking of Stories |
2004
2/26–2/29 U. of California -Irvine w/ choreographer Loretta Livingston
4/22 California State University –Long Beach
4/25 Center Stage Theater, Santa Barbara -UCSB Primavera Festival
5/15 Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica
10/1 Lit Moon Theatre Festival -Santa Barbara
10/3 Highways Performance Space -Santa Monica
10/4 California State University –Long Beach |
2003
10/10-10/12 St. Mark's Performance Space, New York City
10/8 The Movement Salon, New York City
10/4 Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica
9/12 Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles
9/11 Pasadena City College
5/10-5/11 Los Angeles Theater Center w/ Livingston Dance
4/24 California State University –Long Beach
4/19 Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica
3/8 Center Stage Theater, Santa Barbara
2/24 California State University –Northridge
2/10 California State University –Long Beach
2/8 Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica
1/27 Univ. of California –Santa Barbara College of Creative Studies
1/16-19 Hatlen Theatre with Santa Barbara Dance Theatre |
2002
11/14 Hatlen Theatre with Santa Barbara Dance Theatre
11/6 California State University –Long Beach
10/27 Belmont Heights United Methodist Church
10/7 Santa Barbara Ensemble Theatre
10/6 Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts
10/5 Mark Moore Gallery, Venice
9/29 California State University –Long Beach
8/4 Mark Taper Auditorium w/ Livingston Dance, Los Angeles
5/4 Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica
4/27 Downtown Playhouse, Los Angeles
3/6 California State University –Long Beach
3/2 TuttoMedia Studios, Venice
2/9 Fullerton College
2/8 Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica
2/7 Cypress College
1/17-20 Hatlen Theatre with Santa Barbara Dance Theatre |
2001
11/20 Fullerton College
11/15-17 Cerritos College
11/6 Univ. of California –Santa Barbara College of Creative Studies
11/2 Cal. Poly Pomona University
10/29 California State University –Long Beach
5/20 San Diego New Music -Noise at the Library Series
5/16 Pasadena Presbyterian Church
4/1 Long Beach Playhouse –Alternative Theater Project
3/29 California State University –Long Beach
3/25 Electric Lodge, Venice
2/27 California State University, Long Beach –New Music at Noon
2/24 Irvine Valley College
2/23 First Congregational Church, Long Beach
2/16 Santa Monica Unitarian Universalist Community Church
2/4 San Diego Center for the Moving Arts |
2000
4/10 California State University, Long Beach –New Music at Noon
3/25 Long Beach Museum of Latin American Art
2/5 Pasadena City College
1/29 Santa Barbara -Current Sounds Concert Series
1/21 San Diego Center for the Moving Arts |

photo: Carolyn Bremer
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performing with violinist Todd Reynolds photo: Carolyn Bremer
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photo: Nic Chaffee |

photo: Jeff Lim
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performing with the Eclipse String Quartet photo: Jeff Lim
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performing at the University of Miami
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performing with Pamela Z
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performing Square Feet in Santa Monica, CA
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performing in San Francisco with Eve Beglarian and Sarah Cahill |
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Deadbeat Club w/ pianist Andrew Russo live 10-20-09
Quicktime YouTube
Music by the B52's, arranged by Evan Ziporyn and Andrew Russo
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Street Spirit w/ pianist Andrew Russo live 10-20-09
Quicktime YouTube
Music by Radiohead, arranged by Ed Rushalski |

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Robin
Cox Ensemble 08 Demo Video
Quicktime Windows
Media
YouTube
A five minute overview
of recent live performances and collaborations |
 |
Levitation
Games
Quicktime Windows
Media YouTube
Live
performance with marimba soloist Scott Deal at the Miles Memorial
Playhouse, Santa Monica 1/28/07
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Square
Feet
Quicktime YouTube
Live
performance from the Miles Memorial Playhouse,
Santa Monica 4/19/08. Features Erik Leckrone on djembe.
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Small Spaces
Cox's music in collaboration
with Nugent
Dance. Big Range Dance Festival performance, Houston, TX 6/08 |

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Drive
Quicktime: High Low Windows
Media YouTube
from the Santa Barbara Center Stage Theater performance
of 10/30/05 |
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Difficult by Amy X Neuburg
Live
performance with Amy X of her work arranged for
the ensemble -Miles Memorial Playhouse, Santa Monica 4/19/08
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Volt
Quicktime Windows
Media
excerpt of a live performance from
the second CD. Cal. State Univ. -Long Beach, 2/10/03 |

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Muted
Narrative
excerpt from this live performance
by RCE of Cox's work Midnight in collaboration with
choreographer Eun Jung Gonzalez's dance piece Muted
Narrative. New York City, St. Mark's Performance Space,
10/10/03
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All Tomorrow's Parties w/ pianist Andrew Russo live 10-20-09
Quicktime YouTube
Music by Daniel Felsenfeld with quotes from the Velvet Underground
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RPM live 8-16-09
Part One: Quicktime YouTube
Part Two: Quicktime YouTube
Performance of the ensemble with violin soloist Todd Reynolds |

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Faster
Than That movt
3:
Quicktime Windows
Media YouTube
Live
performance with the Eclipse String Quartet at the Miles Memorial
Playhouse, Santa Monica 1/28/07
Faster Than That movt 3 with
NUGENT DANCE:
Quicktime: High Low Windows
Media
excerpt
from this live performance by RCE of Cox's work in collaboration
with Nugent
Dance. Santa Barbara Center Stage Theater performance
of 2/1/06
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Clockwork by
Dan Becker
Excerpt
of a live
performance from the Miles Memorial Playhouse,
Santa Monica 4/19/08 |

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New
Year's Harmattan
Quicktime Windows
Media
excerpt from this 2004 collaboration
between filmmaker Kwame Braun, composer Robin Cox, and the
ensemble.
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Until
It Blazes by Eve Beglarian
Eric Mellencamp in a live performance of this work with video
by Cory Arcangel. Fairbanks, AK 2/5/05 |
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"Six
Degrees of Non-Sequiturization" by Pamela Z
Quicktime Windows
Media
excerpt of a live performance by
Pamela Z and RCE of a work she created for the ensemble. Santa
Barbara, Center Stage Theater, 6/03/06
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Legal
Highs by
David P. Jones
Quicktime Windows
Media
excerpt of a live performance of music.
Cal. State Univ. -Long Beach, 2/10/03 |
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Robin Cox is a composer and violinist known for performances of his own work and those of other contemporary composers. As director of The Robin Cox Ensemble, he has performed his music over 150 times throughout the United States, produced three critically acclaimed CD recordings, and premiered works by many contemporary composers. He is also an active concert producer, having led a highly successful mixed-media presenting series in southern California as Executive Director of Iridian Arts, Inc.
His collaborations include work with choreographers Keith Johnson, Stephanie Nugent, Loretta Livingston, Doug Nielsen, Anita Cheng, Eun Jun Gonzalez, Catey Ott, Jerry Pearson, and Jeff Slayton, video artists Kwame Braun and Carolyn Bremer, and playwrights Maggie Mixsell and Judy Bauerlein. He has also collaborated, performed, and produced concerts with musicians including Pamela Z, Phil Kline, Art Jarvinen, Brad Dutz, Michael Lowenstern, Eclipse String Quartet, Dan Becker, Belinda Reynolds, Jim Connolly, Amy X Neuberg, Ryan Brown, Scott Deal, Robert Black, Bill Ryan, Eve Beglarian, Sarah Cahill, Luke Dubois, Andrew Russo, Todd Reynolds, and Carla Kihlstedt.
Cox was awarded the 2002 and 2003 Lester Horton Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Music for Modern Dance and continues to collaborate with his wife, Stephanie Nugent, and many other choreographers and video artists. He also received a 2004 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for promotion of contemporary American music for his founding of Iridian Radio, a widely heard contemporary concert music internet station with listerers across the globe.
Dr. Cox serves on the faculty of the California Institute of the Arts and the Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University -Long Beach. He holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan, and the University of Miami, studying with composers Leslie Bassett, William Bolcom, Donald Grantham, Dennis Kam, Peter Terry, and Dan Welcher. His many commissions and grants include awards from the American Composers Forum, American Music Center, ASCAP, Cal St. -Long Beach, New Horizons Chamber Ensemble, Santa Barbara Dance Theatre, Le Moyne College, Livingston Dance, The Carolina Brass Trio, Fairbanks Symphony Association, percussion soloist Scott Deal, bassist Tom Peters, and The San Diego/Tijuana New Music Festival.
Cox has previously served on the faculty of University of California -Santa Barbara, Valdosta State University, California State University -Los Angeles, Chapman University, and the North Carolina Governor's School. He co-produced the Miami contemporary music series Music at Twilight and served as an administrator for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.
www.robincox.net cox@robincoxensemble.com
Matthew Cook is a Los Angeles based percussionist involved in a variety of projects from classical art music to Middle Eastern and popular music ensembles. A graduate of The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Matthew's primary teachers include Michael Rosen, Tom Sherwood, and Jamey Haddad. As a chamber musician Matthew has worked closely with such composers as Roger Reynolds, Philippe Manoury, Olga Neuwirth, Tristan Perich, and Lewis Nielson performing under the baton of Simon Rattle, Robert Spano, and Timothy Weiss.
Recent engagements have featured Matthew with the California E.A.R. Unit, Sonic Generator, PARTCH Ensemble, and the Cabaza de Vaca Arkestra. Matthew has received awards from Zildjian, Oberlin Conservatory, Instrumentalist Magazine, and the Georgia Governor's Honors.
Pianist Danny Holt is one of a new generation of innovative young musicians ushering classical music into the 21st century. Called “phenomenal” by music critic Alan Rich (SoIveHeard.com), and hailed as one of the “local heroes” of the Los Angeles music scene (LAcitybeat.com), Holt brings his boundless energy and wit to unique interpretations of new music, 20th-century music, and obscure, unusual, and neglected repertoire. He is equally at home whether performing on the concert stage, in an intimate house concert, or in one of his elaborate multimedia performances where classical music meets rock concert aesthetics and a performance art sensibility. Holt has performed nationwide in venues as diverse as Carnegie Hall (New York), REDCAT (Los Angeles), MASS MoCA (North Adams, Mass.), Machineworks (Portland, Ore.), and Joe’s Pub (New York), and he has performed and given guest lectures at music schools and universities across the U.S. and abroad.
In 2005 Holt embarked on his first international solo concert tour, performing contemporary piano music in concert halls, galleries, clubs, churches, and living rooms across North America and Europe. The Daily Hampshire Gazette (Amherst, Mass.) called Holt’s performance “simply outstanding” and The Record (Waterloo, Ontario) called Holt “the classical music equivalent of an extreme sports athlete.” His CD of that program, Fast Jump (Innova Recordings, 2009) was produced by Mike Garson (pianist for David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.) Fast Jump has been heard on radio stations from New York to Chicago to San Francisco, and places in-between. Gramophone called the album “a compelling showcase for Holt’s innate virtuosity and gregarious temperament” and WNYC’s John Schaefer selected the CD as one of the best new releases of June 2009. His 2002 debut CD, Right Now, was called “eclectic and fun” (The Reminder, Springfield, Mass.), and “an offbeat take on the classics…cutting edge” (Daily Hampshire Gazette, Amherst, Mass.) Other past projects include the multimedia performance piece Eusebius (2003), which combined live piano performance with an original film based on Erik Satie’s Vexations, and Innovators, Mavericks, and “Bad Boys”(2006), a multimedia performance piece centered around early 20th century American composers, with original videos narrated by the late James Tenney.
A specialist in contemporary music, Holt has been a fellow at the Bang on a Can Summer Music Institute, the New England Conservatory Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice, and the Weill Music Workshop at Carnegie Hall. In 2006 he performed music by Steve Reich and Terry Riley on the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s acclaimedMinimalist Jukebox Festival in Walt Disney Concert Hall, concerts which were recorded and released on iTunes by Deutsche Grammophon. In addition to championing the works of emerging composers, Holt has worked with such composers as Steve Reich, Louis Andriessen, Christian Wolff, James Tenney, Graham Fitkin, David Lang, Michael Gordon, Augusta Read Thomas, Jo Kondo, and Michael Finnissy, among others. In 2001, Holt became a Yamaha Young Performing Artist, a distinction reserved for only ten musicians each year. In 1999 he won a prestigious award from the National Alliance for Excellence, which was presented to him by composer Philip Glass. He has also received awards and grants from ASCAP, the American Composers Forum, the Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music, and the National Federation for Advancement in the Arts. Holt holds degrees from California Institute of the Arts, Hampshire College, Smith College, and Interlochen Arts Academy. He is also a percussionist, composer, teacher, and scholar. He resides in Los Angeles, where he serves on the faculty of the Herb Alpert School of Music at California Institute of the Arts.
Erik Leckrone, percussionist, has performed with a wide variety of ensembles, and projects throughout the United States including the Sinfonietta Orchestra of Chicago, the Long Beach Symphony, the Elgin Symphony, the Torrance Symphony, Disney records “A World of Happiness” with artists Issac Hayes, Lisa Loeb, and Deborah Harry, “A Lou Rawls Christmas”, and the soundtrack for the movie “The Grudge”. He has performed for national tours with the California Theatre Company, the Madison Repertory Theatre Company, and the Northern-Light Theatre Company of Chicago, IL.
Originally from Middleton, WI, he received his Bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance from Northern Illinois University and his Masters degree in Percussion Performance from California State University, Long Beach. As an educator, Erik has been involved for several years with “Meet the Musicians”, a performance outreach program for elementary schools throughout Orange County. Along with freelancing in the Los Angeles area, Erik is currently percussion instructor at Fullerton College and staff accompanist for the dance programs at Chapman Univ. and the Univ. of California at Irvine.
Cellist Derek Stein graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelors degree in Cello performance in 2006 and recently finished his MFA at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California. Derek began studying cello at the age or four under the tutelage of his father. At ASU Derek studied with cello professor Thomas Landschoot. In the summer of 2005 Derek attended the Brevard Music Center, and in 2006 attended the Stanford Chamber Music seminar with the St. Lawrence string quartet. He has performed in solo master classes with Carter Enyeart, Zuill Bailey, Keith Robinson and Rohan de Saram.. He has also performed in chamber music master classes with the Orion String Quartet, the St. Lawrence String Quartet and the Eroica Trio.
Derek was also Guest Artist-in-Residence with the Arizona State Contemporary Music Ensemble at the 35th annual John Donald Robb Composers' Symposium at the University of New Mexico. After graduating from ASU, Derek performed regularly with Crossing 32nd Street, Arizona's premier ensemble for new music. While attending CalArts, Derek studied with Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick. He regularly performed with the CalArts faculty chamber music ensemble, The New Century Players, including concerts at REDCAT in Downtown Los Angeles. During his last semester at CalArts, Derek was Principal Cellist with the CalArts Chamber Orchestra for the U.S. premier of Gerard Grisey's Les Espaces Acoustiques at REDCAT.
Marty Walker, is a clarinetist who specializes in the performance new music. (He has premiered more than 80 works written especially for him.) Among the labels for which he has recorded are CRI, O.O.Discs, Tzadik, Cold Blue, Grenadilla, Echograph, New World, and Rastacan. Walker has toured and recorded with various new-music ensembles, including the California E.A.R. Unit, Some Over History, eXindigo, Viklarbo, and Ghost Duo. As a soloist, he has presented live radio concerts on NPR, Pacifica, and other radio venues and has performed at numerous new music festivals, including New Music America (Miami and Houston), the International Festival of New Music (Los Angeles), and New Music International (Mexico City), and noted new music venues, including Real Art Ways, FaultLines, the Monday Evening Concerts, and Wires.
The Los Angeles Times called Walker’s playing "masterfully expressive;" El Nacional (Mexico City) wrote that his playing "took the audience to another musical dimension;" and Option magazine called him "one of the finest new-music clarinetists in the country." 21st Century Music magazine wrote of Walker's Cold Blue CD Dancing on Water "If people are best known by the company they keep, then clarinetist Marty Walker is blessed indeed. He keeps wonderful company with an excellent series of composers. . . . both the playing and the recording quality are sparkling."
Nic Chaffee, audio engineer, is accomplished as an engineer and as a musician. Born and raised in Long Beach, CA, he holds degrees in Jazz Studies and Composition from California State University, Long Beach. Nic has been the head audio engineer for the Robin Cox Ensemble since 2002, and has also worked on sound crews for professional ensembles such as the Long Beach Municipal Band and Vocalogy.
He has also mixed literally hundreds of concerts and recordings for colleges, churches, and independent bands around the Los Angeles Area. Currently Nic is employed as a Product Manager in the Pro Audio division of Yamaha Corporation of America. Nic is also an accomplished performer and composer. He works regularly as a free lance trumpet player with various ensembles playing nearly every style, including jazz, blues, funk, rock, and salsa, and has appeared on stage at venues such as the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, the Grove of Anaheim, and the Disneyland Resort.
While attending CSULB, Nic was awarded the Tom Talbert scholarship for jazz performance and the Paul C. Lindsay scholarship for composition. Nic's diverse musical background gives him a unique perspective on audio engineering. Because he has experience as a performer, composer, and engineer, he is able to balance several points of view and create mixes which are pleasing to all involved.
Violin, cello, clarinet, percussion, piano, electronics, and video... Since 1999 this new music group has held over 150 performances, released three critically acclaimed CDs, and broadcast on over eighty radio stations. Along with Cox’s own music, this “post-classical” sextet performs music by diverse range of composers often incorporating amplification, electronic sound, and video to create unique concerts.
Recent commissions and concerts have included performers and composers such as Todd Reynolds, Andrew Russo, Bill Ryan, Sarah Cahill, Eve Beglarian, Common Sense Composers Collective, Pamela Z, Amy X Neuburg, Brad Dutz, Art Jarvinen, Scott Deal, Carolyn Bremer, Alan Terricciano, Leslie Hogan, Daniel Felsenfeld, and Ryan Brown.
RCE also frequently performs in non-traditional venues, bringing to stage more than thirty works involving video artists, dance companies, and playwrights. Collaborators have included Loretta Livingston, Stephanie Nugent, Catey Ott, Eun Jung Choi, Jerry Pearson, Judy Bauerlein, and Kwame Braun. Honors include nomination by the LA Weekly as “Outstanding Classical Ensemble/Artist" and Lester Horton Awards for Outstanding Music for Modern Dance.
The LA Times wrote "impressive...a refreshingly diverse new musical encounter" and the Santa Barbara Independent has remarked “the music is smart, but also warm to the ears”. Members have a history of dedication to contemporary music, with affiliations including the California Ear Unit, Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella Series, the Eclipse Quartet, and the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet. |
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