External links
- Official website
- Nexus in The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Second article at The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Nexus discography at Discogs
- Robin Engelman's blog
- Nexus in the PAS Hall of Fame
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| Origin | Toronto |
| Genres | Contemporary classical music |
| Members | Garry Kvistad, Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Russell Hartenberger |
| Past members | Michael Craden, John Wyre, Robin Engleman |
Nexus is a Toronto-based percussion ensemble that performs standard percussion ensemble repertoire, ragtime music, world music, contemporary classical music and as a group, has performed as soloist with some of the top orchestras around the world.
The ensemble was originally made up of percussionists Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Robin Engelman, Russell Hartenberger, John Wyre and Michael Craden. [1] Founding member Michael Craden died of liver cancer in 1982. John Wyre died in 2006 and was replaced by long-time professional colleague Garry Kvistad. Robin Engelman resigned from the group in December 2009 due to vision difficulties and died on February 26, 2016.
The group formed in 1971 and debuted with a concert of entirely improvised music at the Eastman School of Music. Although the first performance only featured four of the musicians, all six performed together as Nexus shortly after in Walter Hall at the University of Toronto. [2] In the mid-1970s the group recorded two albums with New Age music pioneer Paul Horn: Paul Horn and Nexus (1975) and Altura Do Sol (1976).
Nexus played on the soundtrack of the 1974 film The Man Who Skied Down Everest , and appeared in the 1975 National Film Board movie Musicanada. [3]
In 1982 the group released Nexus and Earle Birney, a triple-album collaboration with noted Canadian poet Earle Birney.
The group recorded an album for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Dance of the Octopus, [4] in 1990 with harpist Judy Loman. [5]
In 1990, Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu wrote a concerto for percussion ensemble and orchestra entitled From me flows what you call Time for the group. Takemitsu was commissioned to compose this piece for Nexus and the Boston Symphony, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Carnegie Hall. [6] Dozens of other composers have written music specifically for Nexus and for individual members of Nexus, and the group's members are also composers and arrangers, writing for Nexus and, on occasion, for others.
In addition to their regular concerts, the group also gives masterclasses and educational performances.
Russell Hartenberger is a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music (Dean, Chair of Graduate Education, and Professor, Percussion). Robin Engelman was also a long-time staff member at the University of Toronto, where he mainly taught and conducted the percussion ensemble and the contemporary music ensemble.
| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Paul Horn and Nexus | Epic/CBS | |
| 1976 | Altura Do Sol | Epic/CBS | Later reissued as The Altitude Of The Sun (Black Sun, 1989) |
| 1976 | Nexus Ragtime Concert | Umbrella | Later reissued (Nexus, 1991) |
| 1978 | Music of Nexus | Nexus | |
| 1981 | Under the Umbrella | CP | |
| 1982 | Changes | Nexus | |
| 1982 | Nexus & Earle Birney | ||
| 1989 | The Best of Nexus | Nexus/Denon | |
| 1990 | Nexus Now | Nexus | (June 1989) |
| 1990 | Dance of the Octopus | CBC | With Judy Loman |
| 1991 | Nexus Plays the Novelty Music of G.H.Green | Nexus | |
| 1992 | Origins | Nexus | (August 1991) |
| 1992 | The Story of Percussion in the Orchestra | Nexus | (June 1992) |
| 1994 | Voices | Nexus | (January 1994) |
| 1994 | The Mother of the Book | IRJ | With Gil Evans |
| 1995 | Music for Heaven and Earth | CBC | |
| 1995 | World Diary | Papa Bear | With Tony Levin |
| 1996 | Farewell to Philosophy | POINT Music//Philips/PolyGram | (May 1995) |
| 1997 | Toccata | Nexus | (May 1996) |
| 1997 | Nexus meets Peter Sadlo | Koch | |
| 1997 | Rune | Nexus | |
| 1997 | World Drum Festival | Syrinx | (March 1997) |
| 1998 | Orchestral Music of Takemitsu | Sony Classical/SME | (February 1997) |
| 2000 | Garden of Sounds | BIS | With Richard Stoltzman (January 1999) |
| 2001 | Lullaby | Nexus | With Leigh Howard Stevens |
| 2003 | DrumTalker | Nexus | (April 2003) |
| 2004 | Rituals | Containing Concert for Violin and Orchestra (October 1998) and Rituals (March 2004) for five percussionists and orchestra. | |
| 2005 | Out of the Blue | (March 2005) | |
| 2005 | Wings | (June 2005) | |
| 2015 | Persian Songs | (August 2015) [7] | |
| 2021 | Steve Reich | Nexus | with Sō Percussion (June 2021) [8] |
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