ABOP-In-LA 2024 coming soon!
May 26-31
ABOP’s second annual week-long intensive, May 26-31, will feature a residency at the Beckmen YOLA Center in Inglewood, California. ABOP is thrilled to partner with YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) in presenting five days of activities focused on the training and development of ABOP’s Protégés. Activities will include professional development workshops (private), master classes, repertoire reading with full orchestra, and ensemble and solo rehearsals that culminate in a final performance by Protégés. The events below are open to the public and free of charge. Please use this link to reserve your attendance to any of our ABOP-in-LA sessions: Eventbrite
Master Classes
- Sunday, May 26, 7:00 pm, Techniques on Accessory Percussion presented by Joseph Mitchell III, Adjunct Instructor, El Camino College and Los Angeles Harbor College
- Tuesday, May 28, 11:00 am, Survival Skills for the Working Percussionist presented by Ricky Burkhead, Professor of Music and Director of Percussion, University of Mississippi
- Tuesday, May 28, 7:00 pm, History of the 40 Drum Rudiments presented by Johnny Lee Lane, former Director of Percussion Studies, Eastern Illinois University
- Thursday, May 30, 7:15 pm, Timpani Repertoire presented by Michael Crusoe, former Principal Timpani, Seattle Symphony
Repertoire Reading Session
On Wednesday, May 29, 7:45 pm, a repertoire reading session will be lead by Charles Dickerson, Founder and Director of the Inner-City Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. This unique session includes a full orchestra focused on percussion repertoire that is typically required at orchestral auditions. Composers will include: Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev, Dukas, and Gershwin.
ABOP Recital
A special performance showcasing our Protégés, Friday, May 31, 7:00 pm, closes out the week-long intensive. Composers will include: J.S. Bach, W. Kraft, J. Tenney, M. Hood, G.H. Green, and more.
Come out to support ABOP and our Protégés! All are welcome—percussionists, musicians, non-musicians, educators, etc. Door prizes (mallets, music, drumheads, etc.) provided by our percussion sponsors will be awarded at each event. Reserve your attendance to any of our ABOP-in-LA sessions: Eventbrite
ABOP extends a warm thank you to all of our sponsors and donors who helped to make ABOP-in-LA 2024 possible:
Alice Coulombe, Kenny Park, Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Inner City Youth Orchestra, Charles Dickerson, Founder & Director
Beckmen YOLA Center, Camille Delaney-McNeill, Director
Batterie Music, Black Swamp Percussion, Majestic Percussion, Malletech, Marimba One, Remo, Sabian, Vic Firth/Zildjian
Beckmen YOLA Center and the rehearsal/performance hall inside the Center.
101 South La Brea Avenue, Inglewood, CA, 90301
ABOP-IN-LA 2023 HIGHLIGHTS
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC MERCHANTS SHOW (NAMM)
Held in Anaheim, CA with attendance numbers in the tens of thousands, the annual trade show features national and international music merchants presenting their latest gear and equipment (instruments, accessories, books, sheet music, electronic equipment, etc.). The show also features educational sessions, concerts, and special events. NAMM is a great place to explore what’s new, meet up with friends, and make new connections.
PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITY
Protégés rehearsed solo and ensenble literature, and performed together for the first time at a private outdoor event hosted by ABOP Founder and Mentor, Raynor Carroll, and his wife Adrienne Lee. Repertoire included the March for Two Pairs of Kettledrums by Andre and Jacques Philidor, Gavote en Rondeau from the third Partita by Johann Sebastian Bach, Intermediate Etude #11 for timpani by Mitchell Peters, Etude #1 for marimba by Paul Smadbeck, and the Chromatic Rag by George Hamilton Green. The guests were thrilled to experience a live percussion performance. Special thanks to LA percussionist and educator Aaron Williams for completing our Quintet!
TOUR OF REMO, INC.
The Protégés were honored to be given a private tour of the world’s largest drumhead company, Remo Inc., by Chris Hart, Communications & Relationships Director. The highlight of the tour was having a personal sit-down conversation with Remo President Robert Shen.
MASTER CLASSES
The Protégés participated in four different master classes: Former LA Phil Fellow, Wesley Sumpter, presented an excellent class on tambourine and triangle; Raynor Carroll offered classes on Mahler’s First Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Overture; and legendary Grammy award winning musician, author, and composer, Peter Erskine, gave the Protégés a private session on “swing”.
REHEARSAL OPPORTUNITY
The Protégés received a special invite from ABOP Community Partner Pasadena Community Orchestra (PCO). Under the direction of PCO’s Music Director, Beth Pflueger, the Protégés rehearsed Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Overture. This opportunity gave the Protégés hands-on experience in rehearsing standard and audition repertoire with a live orchestra—an invaluable experience.
EDUCATION PLANNING SESSION
The Protégés participated in a private educational planning session with Kazue McGregor, Certified Educational Planner, and Founder of Exploring College Choices. Discussions focused on defining oneself, resumes, application preparation, timing, pre-screening recordings, and researching institutions and potential teachers. Kazue shared insights and recommendations based on her 20+ years of experience in the field of educational planning and the music industry.
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL PERFORMANCE
Protégés attended a performance of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the world famous Walt Disney Concert Hall. The program included Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade—standard repertoire for symphonic orchestras with prominent percussion parts that appear on school and professional orchestra audition requirements.
HOLLYWOOD—WHERE THE PROS SHOP!
While in Hollywood, the Protégés were able to do some essential shopping at the Professional Drum Shop (a.k.a. Pro Drum). Owners, Stan and Jerry Keyawa, graciously allowed the Protégés to go behind the counter, into the backrooms, and freely browse through the store examining the extensive collection of sticks, mallets, books, music, drums, cymbals, and accessories.
RISE DIVERSITY ORCHESTRA
ABOP’s Protégés were among the students who auditioned and were accepted to participate in the 2023 Rise Diversity Project. Rise was created by the nonprofit, Musicians At Play, to serve the need for diversity in the Film and TV music scoring industry and to build pathways for young minority musicians by pairing them with professional mentors.
As members of the Rise Diversity Orchestra, the Protégés rehearsed and recorded selections from the scores of John Williams’ E.T. and James Horners’ Avatar via Zoom, and then in-person for two days, live on the Warner Brothers Studio Eastwood Scoring Stage in Burbank, California.
The percussion section was coached and mentored by Don Williams and Raynor Carroll. In addition, Pete Korpela, an accomplished LA percussionist in all genres, provided instruments from his collection and offered the students excellent practical advice.
ABOP is extremely thankful to Musicians At Play for their generous assistance with travel and boarding expenses for our Protégés.
