“i always visit the same imaginary city when i dream” is live on my youtube channel! head over to the link in my bio to take you over to an 11 minutes i really hope you’ll dig. i’m always on the hunt for music and projects i truly dig, hoping that what i can offer as a performer is as authentic as possible, even though i didn’t write the music… i’m really grateful for michael laurello, whose music i’ve loved since the very first time i heard it, and whose tastes, compositional voice, and awesomeness as a human being have made for so many seamless, rewarding, and flat out fun collaborations over the last decade. this solo piece he wrote for me hits in an extra special way – i’ve loved sharing it with audiences around the country and am so glad to be able to share it with everyone through this recording. mike is also a wizard with microphones and at the mixing board, and he dialed this one in on another level.
and speaking of another level, my guys @jwein99 and @kennymoonmusic at @continuousmotionproductions were not only completely on board with the creative direction i had in mind for this video, they literally *learned* lighting design for this shoot… and executed the programming and operation of it all like pros that had been doing it for years. not to mention that the 3 of us were out in the woods on a rainy night until 3am, and all anyone was talking about was the next angle or effect to try. they are the real deal, and they absolutely knocked it out of the park in delivering a visual narrative to compliment and even enhance the music.
huge shoutouts to dan piccolo for being so supportive every time i come out to bgsu to record, to @jihyepercussion and @perclee for lending me gear and hosting me in nashville, and to my sponsors for hooking me up with everything i need to sound and look better than i do.
and for any percussionists wanting to play this, there’s a link in the video to mike’s online store…
🙋♂️💯🧳💭🌃💭🌃🕰️🙋♂️🛌
@vicfirth@pearl_drums@pearladamspercussion@adamspercussion@evansdrumheads@zildjiancompany
#michaellaurello #iavtsicwid #newmusic #percussion #percussionist #vibes #vibraphone #electroacoustic #polyrhythm #musicvideo
damn this was such a blast… being on tiny desk was definitely on the “but probably won’t happen” side of my bucket list, and this was a super special way to experience it. @lidopimienta is a force of nature, her bandmates @masallamasaya and @hepostsclouds are incredible, and it was so great to work with fellow dc/bmore musicians @lucky4yu and @toddmarcusjazz ! check out the full vid - miss columbia owned the tiny desk, and i’m so so grateful to have gotten to play a small part in her set 🤩
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#tinydesk #npr #marimba #mango #percussion @vicfirth@pearladamspercussion@pearl_drums@adamspercussion
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Posted @withregram • @nprmusic #eltiny • Every aspect of a @lidopimienta performance is intensely intentional. Her turn behind the Tiny Desk is, as expected, rich with symbolism and musical beauty. 💞
Tap the link in our bio to watch Lido Pimienta’s full performance, premiering only on npr.org/tinydesk or @nprmusic ’s YouTube 🌟
Photo: @kara_frame | Kara Frame/NPR
my piano/perc band @icarusquartet just dropped our latest music video, featuring “superhuman” by @kianravaei 🎹🎹🥁🥁
this one was so cool in so many ways, not the least of which being an unabashed departure from anything remotely classical, in favor of some synths, a drum pad, and a @pearladamspercussion malletstation for some full-on edm music… it was also super fun putting together the edit with killer footage from an awesome late-night shoot this summer with @adamgreencreative and @robsilvervisuals . this also continues pushing boundaries in icarus’ iQ Tests program, which i’m really proud of for the work we’ve produced with a growing number of insanely talented young composers on the rise. icarus is raising funds to keep raising the level of this thing, if you’re so inclined… but first things first - please check out this full vid on the youtubes when you have a 5-minute dance break in your day 🪩
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#musicvideo #newmusic #edm #collaboration #premierepro #malletstation #graffitialley #superhuman
Here’s an excerpt from Michael Laurello’s “I always visit the same imaginary city when I dream”, performed by Jeff Stern at the 2025 Santa Monica Music Festival. Jeff also commissioned the piece and is on faculty at the @peabodyinstitute and executive director of @icarusquartet . Visit Jeff’s YouTube channel to check out the full piece (link in bio for @sternpercussion )!
#percussion #vibraphone #almglocken #new #music
swipe to meet the four musicians who make up icarus Quartet — one of chamber music’s most distinctive ensembles, combining two pianos and two percussionists to create something unlike anything else on the concert stage. @icarusquartet
larry Weng (piano)
max Hammond (piano)
matt Keown (percussion)
jeff Stern (percussion)
together, they’re bringing Bartók Rebórn to Cincinnati — a program built around Bartók’s explosive Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, joined by contemporary responses from Martin Bresnick @bresnickmartin , Viet Cuong @vietcuongmusic and Jennifer Higdon @jenniferhigdon1 … it’s a musical conversation nearly 100 years in the making, and it premiered to a sold-out hall in 2024. now it’s our turn.
wednesday, april 15 | 7:30pm | cohen family studio theater at CCM
presented by @concertnova
🎟️ tickets in bio or at concertnova.com
one more @icarusquartet track to close out the year, this time courtesy of @che.ali.music 🎵
so many beautiful collaborations have come out of our iQ Tests program, and this one had plenty of beauty for sure… using these pensive chords and still resonances to reflect on 2025, and looking forward to making a lot more beautiful music in beautiful places with beautiful friends in 2026 💛
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audio by @shed54et
video by @adamgreencreative
recorded at @peabodyinstitute
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#newmusic #chambermusic #musicvideo #iqtests #collaboration
Eyrie Artist Feature | icarus Quartet
Like the mythological figure from which it draws its name, the half piano/half percussion icarus Quartet dares to fly toward the sun, aspiring to new heights of artistry. After their Carnegie Hall debut, composer Paul Lansky remarked, “This is music making of the highest order.” The Wall Street Journal praised their 2022 album BIG THINGS for its “virtuosity, precision and unflagging energy,” calling it “a beautifully immersive recording… an impressive calling card.”
Winners of the 2019 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, icarus Quartet has reimagined both classic and contemporary works. Named Chamber Music Northwest’s 2020 Protégé Ensemble and inaugural residents of the Klinger ElectroAcoustic Residency at Bowling Green State University, they’ve appeared at the Kennedy Center’s REACH, Vienna Summer Music Festival, Queens New Music Festival, and Princeton University.
icarus’ “indie classical” aesthetic merges adventurous programming with an arena-rock atmosphere, featuring immersive projections and occasional use of synthesizers, triggers, and samples. These expand their palette to include textures from DJ and dance styles, while their candid stage presence breaks the fourth wall to connect with audiences.
Commissioning and collaboration lie at the group’s core. Their 2024 Bartók Reborn program paired Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion with works by Martin Bresnick, Viet Cuong, and Jennifer Higdon, earning praise as “a performance about as perfect as one could ask for.”
Upcoming projects include Songs from the Inside—with the Peabody Institute, conductor Juliano Aniceto, and the American Prison Writing Archive—and Wilderness Suite, an NEA-supported multimedia exploration of Idaho’s Frank Church Wilderness premiering in 2026.
Dedicated educators, the quartet leads workshops and residencies at universities across the U.S. and abroad. Pianists Larry Weng and Max Hammond, and percussionists Matt Keown and Jeff Stern, unite classical tradition with the vitality of new creation.
#percussion #piano #chicagomusic #eighthblackbird
🌖 Ocean Moons 🌔 is inspired by four moons in our Solar System that plausibly host liquid oceans.
Another huge thank you to the @icarusquartet for commissioning and championing this piece! The video features @keyboardwarriorweng and @ellen_hwangbo on piano + @sternpercussion and @keownpercussion on percussion.
#piano #percussion #sheetmusic #moon #astronomy
looking back on a fun couple weeks in LA for @kco_music ’s santa monica music festival…☀️
goofing off with @garrettarney.percussion on @p.s.shin ’s “soshi so$$$hi” (and really every piece for that matter…), premiering works by @libbylarsenthecomposer and @willhealymusic , and playing some old and new favorites of my rep - bartok sonata (not with icarus, but garrett, @kevinahfat , and @thestoryfroma.z totally killed it!) and michael laurello’s “i always visit the same city when i dream” (which drops on youtube tomorrow😬)…
plus, a huge bonus in spending extended time with my childhood bestie @jberg817 and @lizzyyao11 - thank you so much for the hospitality, hangs, sound baths (y’all need to check out @yestudio.xyz btw… lizzy works some magic with gongs, singing bowls, and the works) and letting me bond with the chillest/sweetest luna 🐾❤️
📸pics/vids #1, 3, 5, and 7 by the amazing @carlinma_ 🙏
a lil sneak peek for ya… very very stoked on this killer piece by michael laurello, his incredible work tracking, editing, mixing, and mastering this recording, and the insane videography and lighting design by @jwein99 and @kennymoonmusic of @continuousmotionproductions . “i always visit the same imaginary city when i dream” drops next friday, 8/8 👀
🙋♂️💯🧳💭🌃💭🌃🕰️🙋♂️🛌
@vicfirth@pearl_drums@pearladamspercussion@adamspercussion@evansdrumheads@zildjiancompany
#michaellaurello #ialwaysvisit #ialwaysvisitthesameimaginarycitywhenidream #newmusic #percussion #percussionist #vibes #vibraphone #almglocken #rawcymbal #electroacoustic #isorhythm #polyrhythm
Come see this banger tonight in LA! You might even catch some of @garrettarney.percussion ’s groovy moves, as shown here. Keep flossin’ on ‘em, Garrett 🕺🏻
@thestoryfroma.z@sternpercussion
Info & tickets at kco.la/events
#Bartok #piano #percussion @kco_music #SantaMonicaMusicFestival
