Marimba players of the world, unite!
That could be the motto of the Zelts- man Marimba Festival, an annual gathering of percussionists who have a special affection for the mallet instrument that's a mainstay of symphony orchestras and a close cousin of the smaller xylophone and the more resonant vibraphone.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday, July 08, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 26 words Type of Material: Correction
Marimba byline: An article in Saturday's Calendar about the Zeltsman Marimba Festival carried an incorrect byline. The article was written by David Mermelstein, not David Mermelste.
The festival, first organized in 2001 by marimbist Nancy Zeltsman, has never made it to the West Coast. But that will change Sunday, when its seventh edition will take up residence for two weeks at the Colburn School downtown.
Zeltsman, 50, dreamed up the event while living in Princeton, N.J. She envisioned young marimbists from around the world coming together for a concentrated experience of master classes, recitals, lectures, networking and jamming.
But the result, held at Princeton University, "was so successful that we decided to continue," she recalled recently from Boston, where she chairs the percussion department at the Boston Conservatory. She also teaches at the city's Berklee College of Music and enjoys an active performing career.
The festival's itinerant nature may cause some to question its seriousness. Until this year, it has alternated between the Boston Conservatory and Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. Zeltsman maintains, however, that rootlessness has its advantages.
"The more locations we can present the festival in, the more audiences we can reach," she said, referring to the gathering's concerts -- free when students perform, modestly priced when faculty are featured. "We also get different participants by moving around. This year, we have 10 from central and Southern California who probably couldn't afford to come to Wisconsin. We're even thinking of doing a short festival in Beijing, Amsterdam or Japan, to bring ZMF international. But that's down the road."
In any case, because Zeltsman is revered in percussion circles, she has had no trouble attracting faculty and students. This year's student body runs to 46, the most yet.
"Usually, we have 32 to 42," she said, "and there tend to be about three repeat participants. But this year there are 12, including one from 2001."
She enforces no upper age limit for students -- there's a 41-year-old this year -- although she prefers they be at least 17. But rules were made for breaking, and she has three 16-year-olds this summer. The majority, though, remain in their mid-20s.
