Nicholas Papador, marimba
Nicholas Papador, Associate Professor, Percussion and Director of the University Wind Ensemble, in the School of Creative Arts, spent part of his 2015-2016 sabbatical on tour performing and lecturing at west coast universities. Dr. Papador’s presentation included a short recital featuring compositions from his solo CD Points of Departure, released in 2015 on the Centrediscs label. In presenting the piece, he will provide brief analyses of the works as well as key elements of their composition on topics such as Spectralism, open form composition and programmatic content. He will also address exercises needed for students to grow technically as well as those required to meet the demands of the pieces on the recording. An accomplished pedagogue on the percussion instruments, Dr. Papador also welcomed the opportunity to hear students’ solo or ensemble repertoire.
2016 Tour dates:
Feb. 5: Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan (Jonathan Ovalle, host)
Feb. 10: Monmouth, Oregon: Western Oregon University (Dr. Chris Whyte, host)
Feb. 12: Ashland, Oregon: Southern Oregon University (Dr. Terry Longshore & Bryan Jeffs, hosts)
Feb. 16: Portland, Oregon: Portland State University (Dr. Joel Bluestone, host)
Feb. 22: Bellingham Washington: Western Washington University (Dr. Pat Roulet, host)
Feb. 23: Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia (Vern Griffiths, host)
Feb. 24: Tacoma, Washington: University of Puget Sound/Pacific Lutheran University (Miho Takekawa & Jeff Lund, hosts)
Feb. 25: Eugene, Oregon: University of Oregon (Pius Cheung and Dr. Sean Wagoner, hosts)
PROFILE
Nicholas Papador is a percussionist and composer based in Windsor, Ontario who specializes in contemporary music. He is a founding member of Noiseborder Ensemble (multimedia collective) and Marassa Duo (Afro-Caribbean folkloric influence chamber music). Papador has performed at the Transplanted Roots Percussion Research Symposium at McGill, Puerto Rico Conservatory International Percussion Festivals, the Open Ears Festival of New Music’s Environmental Rhythms, and has been featured four times at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). Papador can be heard on numerous CD recordings, including his 2015 solo recording Points of Departure released by Centrediscs, as well as Matthew Barney’s 2014 film River Of Fundament. An Associate Composer with the Canadian Music Centre, his compositions also appear with Keyboard Percussion Publications, Alfred Publications, Studio 4 Music, House Panther Press, and Bachovich Music. Papador has received grants from the Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, Social Sciences Humanities Research Council, and Canada Foundation for Innovation. Nicholas Papador is a Yamaha Performing Artist and an artist endorser for Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Sabian Cymbals, and Evans Drum Heads. He is president of the PAS Ontario Chapter and Associate Professor of Music at the University of Windsor.
Papador also worked with US Afro-Caribbean specialist James Armstrong on the second recording of the groundbreaking world music inspired chamber ensemble, Marassa Duo. The CD, titled Voduophidian, features an exciting interplay of marimba and vibraphone with a wide variety of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Haitian instruments as well as an array of beautiful atmospheric percussion instruments.
Listen to an excerpt from Voduophidian:
Both recordings are being produced by Ray Dillard, the brilliant percussionist and engineer whose credits include NEXUS, TorQ, Michael Burritt and Nancy Zeltsman. The studio is Fire Escape Recording, engineered by owner and producer, Doug Romanow.
In addition to these projects, Papador continues to work with Noiseborder Ensemble and the Noiseborder Multimedia Performance Laboratory on their CFI and SCHRCC funded projects including evening length presentations such as Subatomic Time and Thrum.
Finally, Papador has also been pursing the publication of his concert and pedagogical compositions for percussion instruments. His works A Very Welcome and Three Recollections have recently been published by Leigh Howard Steven’s flagship publisher for marimba works, Keyboard Percussion Publications. His composition Summons for Timpani and Percussion Ensemble is continuing to receive performances in the US. One of the most recent performances featured John Tafoya, head of percussion at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The piece is now being submitted for formal publication.