Hope

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Description +
- Duration: 3½ min.
  
  Hope can be considered the brighter, more cheerful relative of my other 4.3 octave marimba solo Moon, which had a darker tone amongst the backdrop of the mythical tale of Chang'e and Houyi. Hope instead focuses on the more contemporary theme of shared optimism in darker times, and was written as a reflection on the power of humanity amongst global shutdowns and tragic loss of life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
  
  Hope is a simple and open-ended work with a clear melodic line and boundless phrasing opportunities. I originally wrote Hope as a compulsory solo for Marimbafest 2020 (a marimba festival which was cancelled due to COVID-19) to allow performers to freely present their phrasing and voicing abilities. Sometimes, the simplest works can show the most about a musician's thoughts, emotions and intentions, and as such your performance of Hope will always be unique amongst everyone else's.
  
  Hope was premiered by Adam Tan online on YouTube on 10th May 2020.
Instrumentation +
- Marimba (4.3 octave)
Watch+
About the composer +
- Adam Tan is a marimba soloist, educator and composer based in Perth, Western Australia. Adam is most known for being a YouTube content creator on THE STUDIO, a self-produced YouTube show uploading weekly episodes for education and entertainment relating to percussion.
  
  Adam has performed and presented in-person in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and the United States, and has also presented online classes in Argentina, Central America and the United Kingdom. Highlights include solo performances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), inc. percussion days (Japan), PAS Hong Kong Days of Percussion and Oh! Asian Percussionists Series (Hong Kong), Malaysia Percussion Festival, Chosen Vale Percussion Seminar (USA), Australian Percussion Gathering and masterclass presentations at the 505A Percussion Gathering (Hong Kong), MalletLab Summer Intensive (USA), WA Day of Percussion (Australia) and various universities and schools across Taiwan.
  
  As a composer, Adam's works for percussion are performed regularly as they appear in repertoire lists for auditions, examinations and competitions around the world, such as the UIL Texas Prescribed Music List (PML). Adam’s works can be listened to on all music streaming platforms and stores.
  
  Adam is the founder and director of Marimbafest Australia, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of percussive arts in Australia, curating various events including the annual marimba festival and competition Marimbafest, as well as the annual concert series Percussion All-Stars.
  
  Adam has a Master of Music (Research, Percussion) and Bachelor of Music (1st Class Hons) from the University of Western Australia Conservatorium of Music.
  
  Adam is a Marimba One Premier Artist and a Signature Artist of Encore Mallets with his own signature series of mallets. Adam's compositions are published by Edition Svitzer.
Reviews +
- Review (Percussive Notes, October 2021)
  
  “Hope” is a tonal and lyrical, yet moderately difficult, unaccompanied four-mallet marimba solo that lasts about 3½ minutes. The composer states that the piece “focuses on the more contemporary theme of shared optimism in darker times, and was written as a reflection on the power of humanity amongst global shutdowns and tragic loss of life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. I originally wrote ‘Hope’ as a compulsory solo for Marimbafest 2020 (a marimba festival that was cancelled due to COVID-19) to allow performers to freely present their phrasing and voicing abilities. Sometimes, the simplest works can show the most about a musician’s thoughts, emotions and intentions, and as such your performance of ‘Hope’ will always be unique amongst everyone else’s.”
  
  The sophisticated simplicity of “Hope” is quite appropriate for the college/university percussion student who is looking for a fresh, tonal work to complete a junior or senior solo percussion recital.
  
  —Jim Lambert
Credits +
- Front Cover graphics and layout: Adam Tan
  Photo: Nik Babic
  Engraving: Adam Tan & Johan Svitzer
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright ©Adam Tan

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