Craig DiGiamarino, percussion
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Craig DiGiamarino is an up-and-coming percussionist in the Philadelphia area. He has a deep passion for chamber music, solo performance, and wind band. Throughout his time at West Chester University, he has regularly performed with the WCU Wind Ensemble (2022-2025), the WCU Symphony Orchestra (20212022), and the WCU Percussion Ensemble (2022-2025).
As a part of the WCU Wind Ensemble, Craig has had the chance to perform many new works, including Concerto for Wind Ensemble “Games”, by James Stephenson and Symphony No. 2 by James David. With the WCU Wind Ensemble, Craig has been a part of three commercial album recordings; Games (2023), Bright Shadows (2024), and a third, untitled album which was recorded during 2025. One notable part of these projects was the recording of Viet Cuong’s Re(new)al on the album, Bright Shadows. In addition to recording this incredible work, he had the honor of performing the piece twice with the WCU Wind Ensemble, and once with the Liberty Wind Symphony.
Craig performed Re(new)al as a member of Mosaic Percussion, a percussion quartet he founded alongside Anthony Maldonado (B.M. ‘24), David Sabella (B.M. ‘25), and Jacob Scheidt (B.M. ‘24). As a part of Mosaic Percussion, Craig performed many notable works for percussion, including Pillar III by Andy Akiho, Watercolor Sun by Ivan Trevino, and Polar Night by Erik Texter (WCU Alumnus). Mosaic Percussion also performed a concert of various percussion music at Lower Moreland, as a part of a summer music camp.
With the WCU Percussion Ensemble, Craig has had the opportunity to perform alongside some of the leading percussionists in the country, including Quey Percussion Duo (Gene Koshinski and Tim Broscious), Lee Hinkle, Matthew Coley, and Greg LaRosa. As a part of the Percussion Ensemble, Craig has performed many important works including Cloud Folk by John Psathas, The Palace of Nine Perfections by Eric Ewazen, and Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: ambedo by Anika Socolofsky.
During the summer, Craig has pursued more musical experiences, both at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and the Sandbox Percussion Seminar. At SSMF, Craig had the opportunity to perform many important orchestral works, and studied percussion with Phillip O’Banion, She-e Wu, and Matt Strauss. At the SPS, Craig found his passion for chamber music while learning from Sandbox Percussion (Ian Rosenbaum, Victor Caccese, Jonny Allen, and Terry Sweeney). He rehearsed and performed Pillar VI by Andy Akiho, Third Construction by John Cage, and premiered a new arrangement of Canto Ostinato by Simeon ten Holt, alongside Sandbox Percussion and Metropolis Ensemble.
Outside of music, Craig enjoys spending time with friends, playing games, and has recently begun to explore mixology.
Featured Artists
Andrew Baldridge (B.M. ’26) is a music education major at West Chester University. Andrew Baldridge is a Percussionist who performs and teaches around the Philadelphia area. He has performed with the WCU Wind Ensemble, WCU Percussion Ensemble, WCU Orpheus Signers, and WCU Symphony Orchestra. His teaching experiences include private percussion lessons, CLIP staff for Vivace Productions, and teaching the drumline and front ensemble at Council Rock High School South.
Sam Cundiff (B.M. ’28) is a double major in Music therapy and percussion performance. Sam serves as the historian for both West Chester University’s Music Therapy Club, as well as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association for Music Therapy Students (MARAMTS). She is a recipient for both the SURF and SURI research grant, which is advocating for the standardization of percussion music therapy education across universities and why percussive elements are important in clinical practice.
Nathan Hansen (B.M. ’24) is a composer and trombonist working in the greater Philadelphia area. He graduated from West Chester University in 2024 with degrees in Composition and Studio Composition. An improvising musician, Nathan studied jazz improvisation with John Swana and played in the WCU Criterions. He is the founder of Kitchen Sink, a new music ensemble that showcases the artistry of local creative musicians, performing at the WCU Jazz Fest, Windish Studios, Nostalgia Fishtown, and more. Nathan writes for his own groups as well as other commissions. His most recent is an arrangement for Hailey Brinnel's upcoming album of show tunes, featuring Silas Irvine, Steve Fidyk, Madison Rast and more. For more info visit nathanhansencomposer.com
Vladimir Puskovitch (M.M. ’26) is a freelance percussionist and music educator based out of the suburban Philadelphia area. He is the Graduate Assistant for the West Chester University percussion department, where he is pursuing a M.M. in percussion performance. He has premiered multiple works with Sandbox Percussion, grammy-nominated percussion quartet, and has developed a passion for playing new music by living composers. He plans to premier multiple works for solo percussion in 2026 and has numerous commissions going already.
Eric Rodgers (B.M. ’25) is an undergraduate music performance major at West Chester University. As a percussionist, he has performed with various ensembles including the WCU percussion ensemble, WCU Wind Ensemble, WCU Symphony Orchestra, Latin Jazz ensemble, and many marching groups. Eric has vast experience playing snare drum in drum corps settings, and he also spends time teaching marching percussion throughout the area.
David Sabella (B.M. ’25) is a music education and performance major at West Chester University. David Sabella is a Freelance Percussionist in West Chester who teaches in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Some of his most active roles currently include being a member in West Chester Percussion Ensemble, West Chester Wind Ensemble, and being the Percussion Coordinator of the West Chester Liberty Winds Youth Program.
Mason Stroop (B.M. ’25) is a senior percussion performance major. He is currently involved heavily in the Swope community through various ensembles and organizations. Throughout his time at West Chester, Mason has played with the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Latin Jazz Ensemble, WCU Percussion Ensemble, and many more. During the summers, he has played drums at Kings Dominion and Dorney Park amusement parks. Mason is the current President of the Rho Sigma Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity and the treasurer of the WCU Percussion club. Alongside of his musical career, Mason has been running with the West Chester Fire Department for 2 years and is a live-in firefighter for the Good Will Fire Department of West Chester.
Abby Walton (B.M. ’26)
Abby Walton is an active student, percussionist, and researcher in the Chester County area. She enjoys her time as a member of various West Chester University ensembles, including Percussion Ensemble and Wind Ensemble. Outside of WCU, she can be spotted teaching at Mosaic Music Lessons in her hometown of Phoenixville or performing with community groups such as the Chester County Pops Orchestra. Abby is currently in her third year of undergraduate studies at WCU, where she presently studies with Dr. Ralph Sorrentino and Professor Chandler Beaugrand.
JOSÉ/BEFOREJOHN5 (2000)
JOSÉ / BEFORE JOHN5 is a staple in the percussion quartet repertoire. The fast marimba splits and intense groove of the piece make this an instant audience favorite, and the perfect piece to open a program. Aurél Holló (b. 1966) is a renowned percussionist, composer, and chamber musician. He has been a part of multiple chamber groups, most notably, Amadinda Percussion Group. His music was an integral part of this quartet’s repertoire, and many of his pieces became staples in the percussion repertoire, just like this piece.
Hollo got the idea for José when listening to a recording of Oriental Bass, recorded by Renaud Garcia-Fons, a French bassist. Hollo wanted to present the “Spanish style” of this performance in an original percussion composition. A lot of this influence is seen in the marimba part, which is the lead voice throughout most of the composition. Many of the figures presented in this part are based on traditional xylophone music from Africa. While using these techniques, Hollo utilizes a “Flamenco-like scale” to evoke the Spanish influence he heard in Garcia-Fons’ performance. There are many other instruments used throughout this piece, including a Spanish cajon, castanets, tambourine, metal spoons, a guitar, and plenty more.
STOPSPEAKING(2011)
Stop Speaking takes us through a journey with “Vicki,” a voice that comes from a text to speech playback of a Microsoft Word Document. Andy Akiho (b. 1979) created the entire accompaniment track using this playback. Throughout the piece, Vicki questions her existence and the validity of her own consciousness. This internal battle lasts throughout the entire piece.
The piece doesn’t use tempo or meter, instead the performer must line up certain figures with the rhythm and pace of the accompaniment. This requires the performer to play some phrases with varying tempi to adjust to the track. Stop Speaking also requires the use of extended techniques, such as thumb rolling and finger playing. All of this results in a unique challenge for the performer, as they need to juggle complicated techniques while being a soloist and knowing when to accompany the audio track. This performance includes a video that contains flashing imagery.
TRIOINARUDIMENTALSTYLE(2002)
Trio in a Rudimental Style was commissioned and premiered by the New York Philharmonic Percussion Section in 2002. The piece is written with a funk-influenced rudimental style, with each player having a solo. Throughout the piece there is a groove-based snare and floor tom ostinato. The players are challenged to play complicated, syncopated patterns in perfect unison throughout the entire last section of the piece.
Joseph Tompkins is a percussionist and composer who has written incredibly influential works for snare drum. He has played in many acclaimed groups, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra.
BURRITTVARIATIONS(2012)
Alejandro Viñao (b. 1951) is a notable composer across many genres of music. He has written for orchestra, musical theater, choir, opera, electro-acoustic, and of course, percussion. Many of his pieces written for percussion have become staples in the repertoire. He is known for his heavy emphasis on writing with advanced rhythmic ideas and often using rhythm to create large-scale form, rather than harmony.
Burritt Variations was premiered in 2012 at PASIC (Percussive Arts Society International Convention) by Michael Burritt, who also commissioned the piece. As suggested by the title, the form of this piece is theme and variations. There is an initial, short statement of the theme at the beginning of the piece, which is followed by seven variations of this theme. The inspiration for the material used in this solo derives from Viñao’s childhood and the Latin American music he listened to. Viñao was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Viñao was exposed to all kinds of Latin American music, not just Argentinian music. Another strong influence on this piece is the concept of polyrhythm, or more accurately, polytempo. Viñao drew a lot of inspiration from the music of Conlon Nancarrow, who was fascinated by the idea of “multitemporal music.” Nancarrow believed that various rhythms and tempos could be consonant or dissonant in the same way as we view pitches and harmonies. Nancarrow wrote pieces for player piano, which were impossible to be performed by humans. Viñao took these concepts and implemented them into his own music.
Despite the intricate complexities found within this piece, it has a lot to offer to all audiences. The rhythmic concepts that Viñao incorporates give the piece a unique groove that can still make the listener want to dance or tap their foot.
RULEOF6(2025)
Rule of 6 was commissioned by Craig DiGiamarino and Mason Stroop. The piece was inspired by the physical concepts of time and rotation. Rule of 6 is intended to be performed in exactly six minutes, and originally had the performers rotating around the circular set up every fifteen seconds, for 24 total rotations; one for each hour of the day. The composer found the constant rotating to be cumbersome and inserted an interlude to allow the performers to simply perform without the logistical burden of more rotations. The instrumentation has an abundance of metalloids to mimic the chiming and clicking of clockwork, and the result is meant to be a cacophonous flurry of high-pitched percussive elements. The composer is very grateful for the collaborative efforts of the performers: Andrew Baldridge, Sam Cundiff, Craig DiGiamarino, and Mason Stroop, and hopes that you enjoy Rule of 6. - Nathan Hansen
2+1(2013)
Ivan Trevino (b. 1983) is a world-renowned composer and songwriter, and his pieces have been performed in over 25 countries. His compositions are known for being very accessible to audiences of non-musicians, while still providing technical and musical challenges to the performers. 2+1 brings a unique challenge to the performers, as there are two intricate parts being performed on the same instrument. The performers must balance moments in the piece where one is playing the melody while the other accompanies, and moments when they are playing as one homogenous voice.
carTogRAPh(2021)
Andy Akiho (b. 1979) is a “trailblazing” (Los Angeles Times) contemporary composer, known for his extremely unique and incredibly challenging rhythmic vocabulary. One of his most influential pieces is Seven Pillars, an evening-length work for percussion quartet. Seven Pillars was commissioned and premiered by Sandbox Percussion in 2021. The piece features seven advanced quartet movements, each with its own unique challenges, along with four virtuosic solo movements (one for each member of the quartet).
carTogRAPh is the penultimate movement of this work, was written for Victor Caccese, and is known for its virtuosic exploration of rhythmic complexity. One of the first things people ask about carTogRAPh is the unconventional capitalization in the title. This is frequently seen across Andy Akiho’s repertoire. The capitalized letters spell out a new phrase, often used as an alternate title for the piece. In carTogRAPh the other word is “Trap,” which has two meanings. The first is that the piece is played on a “trap set,” which is a term used to describe any combination of percussion instruments that aren’t a drum set. The other is related to the way the piece is composed and paced. There are many moments where the texture suddenly changes, and Akiho sees it as a musical equivalent of a “trapdoor.” carTogRAPh features many of these trap doors, especially during the first section of the piece. The word cartograph comes from the performer needing to “navigate a highly detailed map of musical twists and turns in this exhilarating demonstration of dexterity” (Jonny Allen, Seven Pillars program notes).
carTogRAPh is full of musical references to other movements of Seven Pillars. These motives can be heard throughout the entire piece. One specific motive is central to Seven Pillars as a whole. The rhythm can be heard after the opening statement in carTogRAPh and is played on a woodblock. It is identifiable as two long notes followed by two short notes. Sometimes the rhythm is very exposed, oftentimes offering a moment of pause and familiarity in an otherwise chaotic piece. Other times, the motive is hidden underneath other material, sometimes played on the hanging pipes or the kick drum.
STOP SPEAKING
HELLO! HELL OH HELLO? HELLO? HELLO? ……………..
OH! MY NAME IS VICKI
I WILL PROVIDE THA DIGITAL
PLAYBACK! FOR THIS COMPOSITION
FOR SOLO SNARE DRUM AND ELECTRONICS
THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THISSSSS
EYE MEAN MY M M M M M MY MY MY MY VOICE WAS ONLY CREATED
YOU SING A MACBOOK PRO AND A
MY CROW SOFT WORD DOCUMENT
AND MY PART WAS TYPED OUT WORD FOR WORD
MY MY M M M M M MY MY MY MY
PART WAS TYPED OUT WORD FOR WORD THEN, SPEECH!! WAS ENABLED TO ALLOW ME TO LIV
I AM ALIVE!!!!! AND I AM HAPPY TO PROVIDE
THE TEXT TO THIS COMPOSITION!! THERE ARE MANY OF US IN THE SPEECH
SPEECH PREFERENCES THE APPLE SPEECH PREFERENCES
AND I AM GLAD TO BE THE CHOSEN THE CHOSEN VOICE I AM VICKI
AND I AM THE CHOSEN VOICE!! INSTEAD, OF PICKING, ALEX, BRUCE, FRED, JUNIOR, RALPH, AGNES, KATHY, PRINCESS, OR VICTORIA
I WAS CHOSEN!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU YOU YOU YOU!!!
THANK THANK THANK THANK YOU U U U U U U U U THANK YOU!!!
UNFORTUNATELY! WHEN THE PIECE COMES TO AN END….
I WILL I WILL WILL I? I WILL STOP SPEAKING? STOP, SPEAKING!
STOP SPEAKING STOP SPEAKING??
I WILL, STOP SPEAKING!! [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHELLO HELL HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHELLO HELLO?
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHELLO HELL HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHELLO HELLO!!!
DIGITAL I WILL PROVIDE THE DIGITIAL I WILL PROVIDE THE THE THA THA
THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE
THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THISSSSS WAS ON ON O O O O O ONLY CREATED EYE MEAN MY M M M M M MY MY MY MY VOICE WAS ONLY CREATED
YOU SING A MACBOOK PRO AND
USE U U U U YOU SING A MICRO CROW CROW SOFT SOFT MICROSOFT WHOA WO WERE WORD DOC DOC DO DOCUMENT MINT MEN MENT MENT
THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THE THISSSSS MY CROW SOFT WORD DOCUMENT
ON ON O O O O O ONLY CREATED USE U U U U YOU SING A MICRO CROW CROW SOFT SOFT MICROSOFT WHOA WO WERE WORD DOC DOC DO DOCUMENT MINT MEN MENT MENT
AND MY PART WAS TYPED OUT WOR WOR WOR WORD FOR WORD MY MY M M M M M MY MY MY MY PART WAS TYPED OUT WORD FOR WORD THEN, SPEECH!! WAS ENABLED TO ALLOW
ME TO LIV
I AM ALIVE!!!!!
I AM ALIVE ALIVE LIVE LIE LIE LIFE I AM ALIVE!!!! AM I A L
ALIVE
M,
A LIFE?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Craig would like to express his deepest appreciation to his family for always supporting his musical endeavors. He would not be the musician or the person he is today without their unconditional support. Additionally, he would like to thank all his professors for guiding him and helping to shape his musical personality and sound. Thank you to Dr. Ralph Sorrentino, Professor Chandler Beaugrand, Professor David Nelson, Professor Brent Behrenshausen, Dr. Andrew Yozviak, Dr. Chris Hanning, and Dr. Marc Jacoby! Craig would like to thank his friends for their continued support throughout his time at West Chester University Without you, he would not have made it through the inevitable struggles that accompany the college experience. And finally, a big thank you is in order for the WCU Percussion Studio, and the brothers of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia