Torus (2010)

Torus is a short piece I wrote for three steelpan players. Like some of my other percussive projects, it involves significant choreography that is written into the score. In particular, it takes advantage of the rotational symmetry of a ring of six steelpans, and the players eventually rotate around the inside of the setup while performing the piece.

I wrote it a few weeks before Cardinal Calypso's 2010 spring show (entitled Calypsuperman: Pan of Steel). Then I learned it with two talented friends, Akwasi Abrefah and Jesse Ruder, and we premiered it at the show. The piece turned out to be rather difficult. As far as I can tell, the performance was a success. It is the first time members of Calypso have premiered a totally new work.

A video was taken at the premiere, but it's difficult to tell what's going on, so we recorded a better video a few weeks later, which is available here. Since it had been awhile since we played it, it's a little frayed at the edges, but you get the idea.