About the LAPQ

The Los Angeles Percussion Quartet is an innovative and dynamic chamber music ensemble whose award-winning repertoire, featuring newly commissioned works by California’s greatest composers, has been acknowledged as “championing composers of thought provoking and uncompromisingly intelligent music”. (Percussive Notes)

In 2012, the LAPQ’s seminal album, Rūpa-khandha, broke new ground as the first 7.1 surround-sound high-fidelity recording of percussion chamber music. The quartet’s recorded performances “presents the entire color-spectrum of global percussion instruments intelligently and with great competency” (Neue Musikzeitung), and subsequently earned the group multiple nominations in the 55th Grammy Awards, including in the prestigious category of Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.

Throughout the LAPQ’s five-year history, their performances have delighted audiences in concert halls, museums, warehouses, and living room salons, with appearances in many of California’s most distinguished concert series, including Monday Evening Concerts, Music and Conversations, People Inside Electronics, Morrison Artists, Fullerton Friends of Music, April in Santa Cruz, and the L.A. Composers Project. Equally committed to outreach and education, the LAPQ have presented workshops and masterclasses to young musicians at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Southern California, California Institute of the Arts, CSU Sacramento/Bakersfield/East Bay, and Occidental College, among others.

Each member of the LAPQ is an active freelance performer and educator in Southern California, and graduates of leading music conservatories, including the University of California – San Diego, Oberlin Conservatory, Northwestern University, the Thornton School of Music (USC), and the Herb Alpert School of Music (CalArts).

Matt Cook performs in a variety of projects from classical art music to Middle Eastern, Jazz and popular music ensembles. He has recently performed with the Robin Cox Ensemble, California E.A.R. Unit, Sonic Generator, Ensemble Green, PARTCH Ensemble, the Cabaza de Vaca Arcestra, Loud Objects, Tehachapi Symphony Orchestra and the United Musicians Symphony Orchestra of Los Angeles. He has worked closely composers Roger Reynolds, Sofia Gubaidulina, Philppe Manoury, Olga Neuwirth, Tristan Perich, David Johnson, and Lewis Nelson. As a drummer and world percussionist, Matt has performed with singers Claudia Vasquez, Coco York, Anthony Starble, Joanna Lemle, indie-pop band Artichoke Heart Souffle, and various musical theater companies in Los Angeles.
www.matthewhcook.com

Dr. Justin DeHart is an avid performer and dedicated teacher of a wide variety of musical styles - from classical to pop, and from world to electronic. DeHart’s musical resume includes performances with the San Diego symphony, pipa master Wu Man, and various pop legends, including Cheap Trick. As a California native, he holds a B.M. from CSU Sacramento, a M.F.A. from California Institute of the Arts, and a D.M.A. from UC San Diego. DeHart was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for percussion studies in India (2001) and his talents have been featured at concerts and festivals throughout the United States, Canada and Asia. He will release his debut solo CD entitled Strange Paths on Innova Recordings on February 26th, 2013, featuring works by Brian Ferneyhough, Iannis Xenakis, Michael Gordon and Stuart Saunders Smith. Dr. DeHart currently teaches percussion and improvisation classes at Chapman University Conservatory of Music.
www.justindehart.com

Nick Terry has performed throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe, he has worked closely with such musical luminaries as Pierre Boulez, Peter Eötvös, Chinary Ung, Steven Schick & red fish blue fish, Fritz Hauser, Eighth Blackbird, the California E.A.R. Unit, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. He is an active performer in many of Los Angeles’ most acclaimed music series, and his discography includes releases on Albany, Innova, New World, Capstone, and <541> Records. Terry is the Director of Percussion Studies in the Conservatory of Music at Chapman University’s College of Performing Arts, where he additionally lectures in non-Western musical traditions and improvisation. He is a proud Artist Endorser for Sabian Cymbals.
www.nickterrypercussion.com

LAPQ Reviews...

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Recording Review:
Quartz City, David Johnson
Lian Records
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Ritual Dances
Los Angeles Percussion Quartet
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The Los Angeles Percussion Quartet brought a first-rate program of established masterworks and new pieces to our series, and performed each piece with utmost musicality, creating beautiful lines and carefully articulated structures with a wide palette of colors and inflections. Their discussion with the audience during a question and answer session during the second half of the program was warm and inviting, bringing more audience interaction than with any other group I've seen. I was thrilled by the audience response to the whole event, with many of our regulars calling it one of their favorite programs ever, and just as many asking me to bring the ensemble back as soon as possible — which we certainly will.

Ronald Caltabiano, Associate Dean, College of Performing Arts, San Francisco State University

Great piece / Great recording (Ritual Dances)
So happy to discover these guys! It seems like most percussion music is horribly recorded. These guys clearly put a LOT of time and energy into mic-ing, muffling, de-buzzing, and correct-mallet-choice-ing. Never harsh, always tasteful and beautiful. And then there's the quality of their playing, which it puts it an an even higher level.
Stephen Ridley / 2011

Your workshop and performance on the evening concert were excellent. The four of you exhibited true synergy in performing all of your works! It is refreshing and exciting to see you performing such challenging repertoire so musically. Very inspiring!

Matthew Darling
Professor of Music, California State University - Fresno
President, California Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society

We attended the recent performance at SF State by The Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, and we were just plain bowled over. These guys are good! The group is going to be making a few more Northern California appearances in April. You do not want to miss them!
-Gregg Bottini & Jean Alexis Smith