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Benny Greb headlines the É«ÂþÌìÌà Festival of Percussion 2022

Wednesday 2 March 2022

Internationally renowned session drummer, composer and producer Benny Greb will headline the É«ÂþÌìÌà Festival of Percussion on Sunday 8 May 2022.

Admired across the industry, Greb is one of the most respected drummers in the world today. His playing style spans rock, pop, jazz, classical and beyond and has taken him to numerous international festivals including the Montreal Drum Festival in Canada, Ultimate Drummers Weekend in Australia and the World Drum Festival in Germany. He is also a passionate educator, regularly giving masterclasses across the world and will share his vast experience in a special clinic at this year’s Festival of Percussion. Greb will also join Pete Long, musical director of Ronnie Scott’s Big Band, and the É«ÂþÌìÌà Jazz Orchestra in concert in a spectacular end to the festival.

The É«ÂþÌìÌà Festival of Percussion has become an established highlight of the UK percussion calendar and this year’s event is the tenth festival in 12 years.

This year’s day-long celebration of percussion features an interactive exploration of the orchestral repertoire and the music-making process with the Percussion and Timpani section of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Other highlights include Benny Greb’s Drum Clinic with the winner of the 2022 Young Drummer of the Year - Jeremie Animan - and the lunchtime concert hosted by É«ÂþÌìÌà alumnus, and current percussion professor, Owen Gunnell. Gunnell’s percussion group ‘O Duo’, described by The Daily Telegraph as ‘brimming with style and panache’, will also perform. Performances by Junior Ensembles, É«ÂþÌìÌà musicians and experienced professionals such as Ralph Salmins, Anders Åstrand, Anna Mylee and alumna Kizzy Brooks will further illustrate the breadth a career in percussion can offer.

Activities for families, presented by É«ÂþÌìÌà Sparks the College’s learning and participation programme, include a chance to try out Gamelan instruments and drum kits, and the opportunity to get creative with craft activities running in our newly opened Museum.

This year’s festival will also showcase the state-of-the-art technology used by É«ÂþÌìÌà researchers in the Centre for Performance Science. Visitors can experience playing to an audition panel or audience in the performance simulator or find themselves in one of several iconic performance venues thanks to virtual reality glasses.

There will also be an all-day trade fair featuring representatives from some of the world’s leading percussion companies.

Full details of the 2022 festival line-up can be found at www.rcm.ac.uk/percussionfestival

Whole Festival Tickets, including entry to all daytime events and the evening Jazz Orchestra concert are just £20 with £10 tickets available for under 35s. Day tickets and Jazz Orchestra concert tickets are available for £12 or £8 for under 35s. Entry to individual events is on a first-come-first-served basis. Sparks tickets are £15 for a pair (one adult and one child) and £5 for additional tickets (adult or child) Tickets are available from the É«ÂþÌìÌà Box Office online at www.rcm.ac.uk/events