Typically hidden at the back of the stage the percussion section can be a bit of an orchestral enigma. Earlier this season the audience was treated to the spectacular Ángel de Luz double percussion concerto, a rare opportunity to witness the full range of percussion front and center. At that time, we interviewed percussionists Trevor Barroero, and Fred Morgan about the concerto. That interview sparked more questions about the section and led to the idea of interviewing the entire section. For this interview we invited all four TSO percussionists (Trevor Barroero, Alana Wiesing, Fred Morgan, and Chris Herman) to share in the fascinating conversation and to demystify the section, clear up misconceptions and learn more about their team dynamic.
The percussion section is so collaborative and versatile, do any of you specialize in particular instruments? Alana, you obviously play timpani but are there other instruments you specialize in?
Trevor: As Principal Percussionist, I’m responsible for hiring extra percussionists when needed and assigning all of the parts to each of the percussionists, taking their strengths into consideration. My job is typically to assign myself the most important or demanding part in each piece — which means I can’t afford to “specialize.” In Scheherazade, it’s the snare drum. In Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, it’s the crash cymbals. Rite of Spring? The bass drum. Porgy and Bess? The xylophone. That said, I’ve always had a love for mallet instruments — especially marimba — which is why I’ve enjoyed performing featured solos and concertos on it with TSO. My role also includes the title of “Second Timpanist,” so I get to join Alana on timpani when we need two players — and I cover for her when she’s away. I studied with many fantastic timpanists growing up (including our former principal timpanist, Kim Toscano) so I do love the chance to move over to timpani whenever possible.
Alana: Other than timpani, which is definitely my favorite, I enjoy and have spent the most time playing drum set, snare drum, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, bass drum, and congas.
Fred: All of us play all the percussion family instruments. For me, I gravitate more towards drumset, snare, and timpani parts. I used to play a lot of drumset in bands of all various kinds and love listening to different drummers all the time.
Chris: I personally don’t feel like I specialize in one particular instrument. One of the aspects that makes being a percussionist so exciting and interesting is that there are ample opportunities to play a variety of instruments. Each week is a new adventure.
Have you ever looked at a piece of music and thought “that’s not possible” and if so, how did you overcome it?
Trevor: Absolutely — Fred and I had several of those moments while learning Laura Vega’s Ángel de Luz, the double percussion concerto that we performed back in October. Some marimba passages were wildly difficult — full range of the instrument, four mallets each, blazing fast tempo. But I started months in advance, practiced slowly, and built it up one BPM (beat per minute) at a time. My teachers drilled in the discipline from an early age. I was required to practice six hours a day in undergrad, and between eight to ten in grad school. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that almost anything becomes playable with time, patience, and a diligent practice process.
Alana: I’ve had that feeling! At first, looking at the music and having that thought can be really daunting. But, over time, I continue to develop and improve the skills to identify and discern different writing styles and patterns. And often, a bit of patience goes a long way in understanding the language or structure of a piece, especially when traversing unfamiliar territory. For example, percussionists often deal with unconventional notation and instrument configurations. So it’s a lot like putting a puzzle together where you need to find pieces, make sense of them, and determine where they go and what role they play.
Fred: This happens quite often, especially in the last 5-10 years. Composers are always pushing the Percussive envelope of something different and challenging. I definitely agree with Trevor and Alana. Almost anything can be done given time. Sometimes we as percussion performers can kind of balance out something that seems impossible or do a little bit of “abbreviating” to balance out the composers intent and playability as the performer. Trevor and I experienced this quite alot in Laura Vega’s Double Concerto.
Chris: I have certainly come across my fair share of daunting pieces. To make the parts more manageable, I first look at scores and listen to recordings. This helps me familiarize myself with the music.
In the 2024-25 season, much of the music was contemporary (including several commissions) that pushed the boundaries of orchestral sound. What is the most unusual thing you have been asked to do in a performance?
Trevor: Where do I start? I’ve played an owl call for Chelsea Komschlies’ composition earlier this season (it was hilarious hearing our stage manager, Stacey Hubert, call around to various hunting stores asking if they had “Ol’ Razzy with Hoot Booster” in stock). We’ve scraped ceramic tile to mimic a seagull, and performed on bird calls, melodicas, conch shells, paper bags, and kazoos (even though these are technically wind instruments, composers usually give the percussionists the “sound effects” because they know that we’re used to playing non traditional instruments all the time). In my graduate studies, I once had to tap on a lightbulb with a metal rod, then drop it into a blender, and blend the lightbulb (on cue!). At the Aspen Music Festival, I shook tin foil along with all the other percussionists. At our children’s concerts this year, I played the wind machine and a giant thunder sheet on Grand Canyon Suite. This year, I made our percussion quartet premiere a piece I wrote featuring cheese graters, cereal boxes, metal bowls, and pepper grinders. In our world, anything can be an instrument — and composers are catching on (for better or for worse!)
Alana: For Inscription by Raven Chacon, there are specific instructions to rub a half-dome of styrofoam on a timpani head, and it’s notated in the music visually to convey the speed and dynamics of the effect. Percussionists often frequent craft and hardware stores to find all sorts of different things to use as implements or instruments, so I found the styrofoam at a craft store and created the desired sound.
Fred: As far as this year goes, the ceramic tile in Raven Chacon’s piece was interesting (trying to get the sound he was looking for was unique). The Double Concerto had the challenge of putting an unbelievable amount of percussion gear together in one space.The sheer amount of instruments and the technical complexity of the parts is a very rare event and was amazing to be a part of.
Chris: One memory that stands out is searching through my spice cabinet before a performance. Our most recent Just For Kids performance had a variety of food themed compositions. I got to shake dried onion flakes, peppercorns, and cereal boxes.
Are there any misconceptions about the percussion section?
Trevor: Definitely. We’re often the punchline in pop culture — triangle jokes, “more cowbell,” etc. I laugh at the jokes alongside everyone else, too, but it’s important for people to realize that our job is incredibly demanding. We’re expected to master dozens of core instruments and have familiarity with hundreds more. At my TSO Principal Percussion audition in 2022, I had to play 26 excerpts across 11 instruments in the final round (I played for nearly 30 minutes straight). On some programs (like Star Wars: The Force Awakens), I’ll play over 15 instruments in a single concert. Other weeks, it might just be the triangle — but even that requires nuance. Timing is tricky when you’re 30 feet from the conductor and can’t “sneak in”. We have to anticipate the beat, playing a split second ahead of what we hear due to the delay in the speed of sound. Every note is exposed. Every sound has to be intentional. Our librarian, Carrie, knows to give us copies of the score for every concert cycle because all four of us study the other instrument parts excessively, making sure we know exactly how our part fits into the texture (because it changes for every piece). The notation for lots of our stranger instruments is also not standardized; so we’re learning new notation and new techniques from piece-to-piece a lot of times.
Alana: Audiences might believe that percussion instruments and the skills and techniques required to play them are simple or easy, and that’s a huge misconception. There are endless considerations for every facet of what we do, including the sticks or mallets we use, the instruments we select to play, where our gear is placed, and, for timpani specifically, when and how to tune various notes across the drums. The details are endless, and attending to them is a constant and evolving process. Another more specific misconception may be that I only play timpani. That may be the case in the orchestra, but I know how to play and really enjoy playing a wide variety of instruments and styles in other contexts!
Fred: From the audience perspective sometimes, the percussionists play 1-3 notes in an entire 45 minute symphony! That would seem extremely easy, but every note we play is thought out and is a solo. It requires a blend of dedication, thought, skill, and versatility. Playing in the orchestra requires changing different “hats” and character at an extremely quick pace. Often people don’t realize how small orchestra rehearsal time is. So for us our skill set has to be ready and on display at all times onstage.
Chris: One misconception regarding the percussion section is that we only play drums and mallet instruments. While those are our core instruments, we also get to play unique instruments and make unique sounds. For instance, just to name a few, we have made bird sounds, used a wind machine to mimic the sound of wind, and played car brake drums.
Outside of orchestral music, what other styles of music do you enjoy performing?
Trevor: That’s one of the best parts of this job — the variety. One week we’re performing funk and soul tributes to Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston; the next, I’m playing Latin American rhythms for our annual Mexican Independence Day concert and ¡Celebración latina! series. I also play jazz with the TSO brass quintet and regularly perform chamber music and solo works. I thrive on the diversity of the job!
Alana: My favorites to perform are rock (especially grunge, classic, and alternative), pop, funk, Afro-Cuban, and Brazilian music, but I enjoy playing and listening to most genres!
Fred: I used to get out and play in funk and jazz bands. I don’t do much anymore. I do always enjoy playing Pops shows when the orchestra can get a good rock and swing groove going.
Chris: At this point in my career, I mostly play orchestral music. However, whenever I have the opportunity to play something different, I enjoy playing contemporary chamber music. Growing up, I really enjoyed playing jazz music, and I even had a jazz group named “Backyard Swing” in high school.
Are there times when you are required to improvise during performances and if so, how do you approach improvisation?
Trevor: All the time. Especially on drum set — the parts are usually just lead sheets or chord charts, so we do a lot of listening and recreating grooves from original recordings. For the brass + percussion school concerts, I even compose my own parts from scratch since no percussion part exists. I improvise in the first rehearsal for our “Music in Schools’ programs and then go home and compose original sheet music myself.
Alana: Improvisation is very rare, but I approach it in an organized way when necessary. Typically, improvisation occurs in the context of a piece, which has form, melodic and rhythmic motives, and a harmonic structure. I’ll call upon those components when I improvise so that anything I play should work within that sonic environment and provide a sense of awareness and cohesion within the existing framework and components of the piece.
Fred: Its all going to depend on context. If I am playing with a Jazz trio, improvising is going to be tailored to that situation. If I am in the percussion quartet or possibly in the orchestra playing a modern contemporary composer my improvising would be quite different. Context, style, and intent of the music will dictate it for me. A lot of contemporary compositions have improvisational sections in their music, or “interpretive liberties”. For instance, improvising in a Stockhausen piece is going to be quite different than if I am playing a Duke Ellington suite.
Chris: Very rarely.
How does your team dynamic shift in percussion ensemble versus full orchestra?
Trevor: It actually doesn’t shift at all — and that’s the beauty of it. Getting to perform chamber music together deepens our ensemble connection. Fred, Chris, Alana, and I know each other’s musical tendencies, and we’ve built real trust on and off stage. They’re three of my closest friends, and I’m incredibly lucky to make music with them.
Alana: Playing in the quartet is much more collaborative since we have the opportunity to create programs, write pieces, play characters, share ideas, voice opinions, and, especially for me since I only play timpani with the full orchestra, a chance to play many other percussion instruments. I enjoy opportunities to work with my friends and colleagues in the percussion section more often since timpani is technically considered a separate section in the orchestra. We may coordinate a few things in that context, but I mostly do my own thing there. It’s nice to have that camaraderie and community in the quartet.
Fred: It’s the same idea. Steve Reich’s Mallet Quartet this year had it all on display for the 4 of us. Collaboration, skill, nuance, musicality, and most importantly teamwork. Amazing to be a part of and not a project just any percussion section in a professional orchestra could do.
Chris: I always love the opportunity to play chamber music with Alana, Trevor, and Fred. Playing in a smaller group such as the percussion ensemble enables us to communicate and collaborate more about the music.
Which composer writes the most challenging percussion parts?
Trevor: There are so many — Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Mahler, Bernstein, Bartók, Shostakovich, John Williams, Gershwin, Tchaikovsky… the list goes on. Each one brings unique challenges, whether it’s rhythmic complexity, unusual instrumentation, or sheer stamina.
Alana: In the context of the symphony orchestra, I would say that the Beethoven symphonies are the most challenging and demanding for a timpanist. On the surface, the parts don’t appear to be difficult. However, the timpani is very active and present in most of his symphonies, and there are countless details to address that concern style, balance, scope, articulation, timing, phrasing, matching, and so much more. These factors should always be considered in any piece, but, somehow, the Beethoven symphonies really heighten and showcase those details in a meticulous yet fulfilling fashion.
Fred: Well, they are all challenging in a way. If it’s Bruckner with one note or it’s Frank Zappa with five thousand notes. We all bring everything to the table with the parts.
Chris: Every program has its own unique challenges, whether it’s getting the right color of a cymbal or triangle note or executing a difficult xylophone lick.
Do you have any pre-concert rituals or superstitions?
Trevor: Actually, no. One of my closest mentors and teachers, Tim Adams, taught me not to rely on any specific routine — because sometimes you just won’t have time. On Sundays, I teach private students from 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM before heading straight to our 2:00 PM concerts. My “warm-up” is often just teaching all morning! You have to be ready to play under any condition.
Alana: I have a warmup routine that I complete before every rehearsal and performance! Depending on how much time I have, I can either lengthen or shorten it. But, it’s always important for me to do some variation of my routine so that I can feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible before I play.
Fred: For me the only ritual is “there is no ritual”. What Trevor mentioned about Tim Adams. We play so much and so often that almost any situation before a concert or rehearsal has to be able to “work”.
Chris: I like to keep a rabbit’s foot tucked in my coat pocket for a performance…just kidding. On a serious note, no, I don’t have any specific rituals or superstitions. I just like to warm my hands up on a practice pad before a performance to get the blood in my hands flowing.
Do you have any percussion idols?
Trevor: My mentors and teachers have been my greatest influences — Kim Toscano (former timpanist of TSO) and Tim Adams (former timpanist of Pittsburgh Symphony) were my teachers for over a decade. Brian Harris (former section percussionist of TSO) was my very first teacher, showing me how to hold my first pair of drum sticks and how to read rhythms. Norman Weinberg and Morris Palter were my teachers for my years at the University of Arizona and they both subbed (and continue to sub) with the Tucson Symphony. All of them shaped me not just as a percussionist, but as an educator and leader in the field. My father, as a singer and songwriter, was my original musical role model. Even though he passed away before I picked up my first pair of drum sticks, his memory still continues to inspire me every day I make music.
Alana: My first orchestral percussion teacher, Bill Wanser, is still my biggest idol. Elayne Jones, Cynthia Yeh, and Jauvon Gilliam are also incredibly important to me. Outside of classical music, my biggest drumming inspiration is John Bonham.
Fred: Definitely my incredible teachers David Herbert, Jack Van Geem, Wil Hudgins, and Trey Wyatt. The things they taught me just come up everyday on the job. The lessons are just a “part of me” now. I also love listening to great drummers and taking just a little bit of their touch and approach to my music. Be it Kenny Washington, Bernard Purdie, or Al Jackson (to name just a few). Even if they play a totally different style, the essence of them I hear, and it’s inspiring for any note I play no matter the style.
Chris: Some drummers that come to mind are Steve Gadd and Jojo Mayer. I have had a lot of great teachers throughout the years that I am thankful for. In addition, I have learned a lot from my current and former colleagues.
If you could program an epic percussion concert, what would you include?
Trevor: We’ve already had some amazing concerts, and I’m excited for what’s coming next. I’d love to perform another concerto with the TSO — it’s such an essential part of my musical identity (I began playing concertos in eighth grade, and I’ve performed percussion solos with ensembles throughout my entire career). I’m currently programming a “Percussion & Friends” concert for next season’s Up-Close Series. Stay tuned — it’s going to be epic!
Alana: I would program a combination of works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Mahler, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Respighi, Bernstein, Copland, Stravinsky, and/or John Williams. Those composers write excellent and busy percussion parts!
Fred: I’m not sure. There’s a lot of great stuff out there. I’m open to any ideas, haha!
Chris: Oh, wow, it’s hard to pin down just a few pieces! I think a concert with an eclectic mix would be the most epic.