WHAT'S OUR PURPOSE?
Our Mission
The purpose of Vibraphone Project Inc. (VPI) is to promote, support, educate, and nurture artists associated with the vibraphone (including, but not limited to, performers, composers, manufacturers, researchers, teachers, and students) throughout the world, and to increase global appreciation for the vibraphone and its artists by expanding, educating, and inspiring audiences worldwide. To these ends VPI shall, among other activities, organize and/or present vibraphone performances and educational events, commission or otherwise solicit and promote new musical works featuring the vibraphone, provide educational resources to vibraphone teachers and students, and/or promote greater communication among all those interested in the art of the vibraphone.
A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Birth of a Project
I have always associated my own musical voice with the vibraphone. There is something inescapably magical about its pure, ringing tones which has always (pardon the pun) resonated with me, far more strongly than the sounds of any other instrument (including its much more common and disproportionately lionized cousin, the marimba). I have carried this unabashed passion throughout my career, and notably arrived at the intersection of my performance, composition, and research interests in 2015 with the completion of my doctoral project. This project featured the creation and premiere of my “Concerto No. 1 [‘Lulu’] for Four-Octave Vibraphone, as well as a companion 64-page document that included, among other things, a research-backed retelling of the history of the vibraphone and its repertoire. It was during my research for this document that I made a crucial connection: the year 2021, no longer so far-flung as it once seemed to be, would actually mark the 100th anniversary of the invention of the first keyboard percussion instrument to bear the name “vibraphone,” including the first appearance of the characteristic, now-standard vibrato mechanism which employs fully-rotating rod-mounted fans.
Although I was able to inspire a handful of initiatives through the Percussive Arts Society commemorating the big anniversary (and I am incredibly grateful to the folks at PAS for taking up the cause), I felt that, for all it had given me and countless others, the vibraphone deserves even more; 2021 should be the worldwide Year of the Vibraphone! There ought to be a way, I thought, to both commemorate the instrument’s first century and kickstart its second in grand fashion. I allowed myself to dream big: there should be a substantial commissioning effort and a global call for scores to begin the next hundred years of vibraphone repertoire with a turbocharged wave of new music, an international education network aimed at coordinating and promoting vibraphone pedagogy around the world, and of course a big performance festival and competition to serve as the instrument’s glittering birthday bash. Above all, the entire endeavor needed to be INCLUSIVE; no celebration of the vibraphone would be complete without recognizing and embracing the breadth of its usage in all genres, particularly in jazz and classical/contemporary music. And so, after filling a stack of notepads with pipe dreams and wish lists, I armed myself with a breathless “elevator pitch” and headed to subsequent percussion conventions with a mission: to find “my people,” the like-minded vibraphone enthusiasts who believed as I did that the instrument deserved as much fanfare as possible.
I spoke to anyone I could find who was remotely attached to the instrument, and then the unexpected happened: people started leaping at the chance to get involved! From all corners of the percussion world, they came: teachers, students, composers, publishers, household names, up-and-comers, jazz cats, contemporary snobs (including myself), manufacturers, historians... I couldn’t have dreamed of the overwhelming response I received! I found myself surrounded by a growing army of passionate, talented, accomplished individuals, whose lives had all been touched by this instrument so dear to my own heart. And all of those pipe dreams and high hopes written in my notebooks suddenly seemed a lot closer to earth, and in fact within arm’s reach; and The Vibraphone Project was born.
Even as I write this in October 2020, The Vibraphone Project has already succeeded in its initial mandate: to celebrate the vibraphone’s first hundred years, and to kickstart its next century. Already, thanks to The Vibraphone Project, new music is being written that wouldn’t have otherwise existed, new educational resources are being created to inspire the next generation of vibraphonists, and the wheels are already in motion to ensure that the percussion world celebrates the big anniversary. Of course, the most exciting thing is that we’ve only just started, and the biggest and best is yet to come! And now that we have found each other, The Vibraphone Project has no intention of stopping after 2021; it will continue to serve as a valuable resource for vibraphone artists, educators, students, and audiences long after the last 2021 birthday candle has gone out. Getting to know and work with each person in the project has been a dream come true, and we’re ready to leave our mark on the history of our instrument. I hope you’ll join us!
Vibraphonically yours,
Dr. Brian Graiser, President
Although I was able to inspire a handful of initiatives through the Percussive Arts Society commemorating the big anniversary (and I am incredibly grateful to the folks at PAS for taking up the cause), I felt that, for all it had given me and countless others, the vibraphone deserves even more; 2021 should be the worldwide Year of the Vibraphone! There ought to be a way, I thought, to both commemorate the instrument’s first century and kickstart its second in grand fashion. I allowed myself to dream big: there should be a substantial commissioning effort and a global call for scores to begin the next hundred years of vibraphone repertoire with a turbocharged wave of new music, an international education network aimed at coordinating and promoting vibraphone pedagogy around the world, and of course a big performance festival and competition to serve as the instrument’s glittering birthday bash. Above all, the entire endeavor needed to be INCLUSIVE; no celebration of the vibraphone would be complete without recognizing and embracing the breadth of its usage in all genres, particularly in jazz and classical/contemporary music. And so, after filling a stack of notepads with pipe dreams and wish lists, I armed myself with a breathless “elevator pitch” and headed to subsequent percussion conventions with a mission: to find “my people,” the like-minded vibraphone enthusiasts who believed as I did that the instrument deserved as much fanfare as possible.
I spoke to anyone I could find who was remotely attached to the instrument, and then the unexpected happened: people started leaping at the chance to get involved! From all corners of the percussion world, they came: teachers, students, composers, publishers, household names, up-and-comers, jazz cats, contemporary snobs (including myself), manufacturers, historians... I couldn’t have dreamed of the overwhelming response I received! I found myself surrounded by a growing army of passionate, talented, accomplished individuals, whose lives had all been touched by this instrument so dear to my own heart. And all of those pipe dreams and high hopes written in my notebooks suddenly seemed a lot closer to earth, and in fact within arm’s reach; and The Vibraphone Project was born.
Even as I write this in October 2020, The Vibraphone Project has already succeeded in its initial mandate: to celebrate the vibraphone’s first hundred years, and to kickstart its next century. Already, thanks to The Vibraphone Project, new music is being written that wouldn’t have otherwise existed, new educational resources are being created to inspire the next generation of vibraphonists, and the wheels are already in motion to ensure that the percussion world celebrates the big anniversary. Of course, the most exciting thing is that we’ve only just started, and the biggest and best is yet to come! And now that we have found each other, The Vibraphone Project has no intention of stopping after 2021; it will continue to serve as a valuable resource for vibraphone artists, educators, students, and audiences long after the last 2021 birthday candle has gone out. Getting to know and work with each person in the project has been a dream come true, and we’re ready to leave our mark on the history of our instrument. I hope you’ll join us!
Vibraphonically yours,
Dr. Brian Graiser, President
MEET THE TEAM
Board of Directors
A team of dedicated percussionists, educators, and advocates for the arts, expanding the way the world sees the vibraphone.
Affiliate Members
Emma Kieselhorst
(Webmaster) Jerry Tachoir (Chair of Education/Pedagogy Committee) Patrick Overturf (Head of Podcast Group) Quintin Mallette (Chair of Research Committee) Matt Geiger Joseph Van Hassel |
Christopher Short
(Webmaster) Saverio Tasca Chris Thompson Gergő Mucsi Alonso Alejandro Acosta Flores Mike Neumeyer Nathan Tingler |
JOIN OUR TEAM
ALL ARE WELCOME, experience not necessary
Email us anytime at [email protected]
Let us know how you would like to be part of the team!
Email us anytime at [email protected]
Let us know how you would like to be part of the team!
The Vibraphone Project depends on the incredible generosity of our fantastic volunteers, who donate their time on our Board of Directors, and committees:
Pedagogy & Education: presenting periodic free clinics and distributing educational resources
Research: promoting academic research on the vibraphone and it's history Call for Scores: running accessible call for score programs to promote established and up-and-coming composers Competition: developing impactful vibraphone competitions, for classical and jazz performers Commissions: funding new works for vibraphone to expand the repertoire in meaningful ways Events: creating performance and education events throughout the US and internationally Business Administration and Marketing: managing the team and our finances, and promoting all VPI activities |
Volunteering for The Vibraphone Project means joining a group of performers, educators, students and vibraphone enthusiasts working together to give back to the vibraphone community. If you're interested in education, new works, events, marketing, nonprofit administration, we welcome you to get in touch at [email protected].