Time:
Wednesday
December, 16, 2026
01:15 PM - 02:15 PM
Location:
W184
Category
Professional Percussion Ensemble
Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
Third Coast Percussion (TCP) is Chicago’s GRAMMY® Award-winning percussion quartet and GRAMMY®-nominated composer collective that made history as the first percussion ensemble to win the revered music award in the classical genre. To date, TCP has garnered seven total GRAMMY® nominations, with the individual musicians receiving two additional nominations.
After marking its 20th Anniversary in 2025, TCP continues its milestone celebrations with exciting and unexpected performances worldwide that constantly redefine the classical music experience and “push percussion in new directions, blurring musical boundaries and beguiling new listeners” (NPR), with a brilliantly varied sonic palette and “dazzling rhythmic workouts” (Pitchfork). Its 20th anniversary recording, Standard Stoppages (Cedille Records), received two nominations for the 2026 GRAMMY® Awards.
Representing “one of the most enterprising and creative ensembles working today” (WFMT), the artists of Third Coast Percussion are in-demand collaborators who have worked closely with a range of artists including choreographers Twyla Tharp, Lil Buck, and Jon Boogz; composer/performers Zakir Hussain, Jessie Montgomery, and Jlin; and composers Philip Glass, Missy Mazzoli, and Danny Elfman, among many others. The ensemble has been praised for the “rare power” (Washington Post) of its 30+ recordings, and its “inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune).
The 2025-2026 season takes TCP to performances in Chicago, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, as well as international dates in Serbia, Montenegro, Latvia, and France. They conduct residencies at Denison University in Ohio and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. TCP’s new tour programs include 20th Anniversary commissions by Zakir Hussain, Jessie Montgomery, Tigran Hamasyan, and more.
Known for its devoted audience engagement, TCP has performed live in 42 states and 17 foreign countries. The quartet has commissioned and premiered new works from Zakir Hussain, Jessie Montgomery, Philip Glass, Clarice Assad, Danny Elfman, and many more. Its recordings include 21 feature albums – including a GRAMMY®-winning album of Steve Reich’s works for percussion – and appearances on 14 additional collaborative releases. Its artists are also accomplished teachers who have developed a wealth of K-12 workshops and family programming, educational partnerships, and collaborations with Chicago institutions.
The four members of Third Coast Percussion (Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore) met while studying percussion at Northwestern University and formed the ensemble in 2005.
Third Coast Percussion
Conductor's Bio
TBD
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