I’m super excited to share Alex Dowling’s new piece, “∞” for marimba and electronics! We started working on this during lockdown in the summer of 2020 as a follow up to Emma O’Halloran’s “How Sweet the Thought of You as Infinite,” and I know that this set of pieces is going to be in my repertoire for a very long time! I had been hoping that Alex would want to work on a percussion piece after seeing all of his incredible work with voice and electronics, and I’m beyond thrilled that he was willing to take the leap! 

“∞” picks up in the sound world that Emma’s piece journeys to, and spends time basking in the beautiful, other-worldly sounds of the electronics. So many pieces for marimba, and percussion in general, are over the top and all about flash and speed and technical prowess, but Alex’s piece subverts all of that and offers a refreshing take on the possibilities of the instrument. The electronics are integrated so seamlessly, and they respond organically to everything that the performer does. His piece is an opportunity for nuance, subtlety, and a completely different kind of virtuosity. I hope you enjoy it!