Heartland Marimba

Embedded in this platform is a deep passion to bring marimba performance to communities of all sizes, especially small towns, and under-served communities. As a nod to the early history of the classical marimba (2016's-1950's), HM considers their work for the future of the instrument strongly connected to the great Claire Omar Musser. As the grandf... ather of classical marimba, a soloist, composer, and conductor, Musser organized many events, from solo to large-scale marimba orchestras, throughout cities in America. We are passionate about continuing this course; and acknowledge the importance that the general population needs to experience the beauty of this instrument. With roots in Africa and Central American, the modern marimba got its start as a participant in the classical music world in North America. From the name of Heartland Marimba to its central tenets, we draw on the tradition and history of the instrument to drive our mission. It propels our dedication to see a bright future for the instrument and success for our marimba artists for many decades. The marimba has a special place in the percussion world. It is comfortably at home in the university music programs as the "grand soloist" instrument of classical percussion. Composers are producing more and more for this instrument and we've seen performance practice advance exponentially in the last 40 years. However, when many percussionists graduate with multiple music degrees, leaving their institutions as prescribed marimba soloists, they find a rude awakening. There have not been tangible means of practicing their art and surviving in the real world as a marimba player. HM is working to change that for marimba artists, and in turn, benefit many communities! HM has produced more than 200 concerts in more than 50 cities since 2014. Thousands of children have experienced educational presentations by HM groups, more than 20 composers have written for HM groups, and at least 30 young artists have been employed by the HMEnsemble. There have been five ...Read More