Faculty Recital: Nancy Zeltsman, Marimba—drinking water

MARIO CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO (1895–1968), adapt. Nancy Zeltsman: Passatempi for Piano (1928)*
I. Un poco mosso                    
II. Un poco burlesco   
IV. Serenamente – quasi campestre (excerpts)             
V. Coda/Lento (excerpts)

FRIEDRICH WILHELM ZACHOW (1663–1712), arr. Nancy Zeltsman: Suite in B Minor for Harpsichord, LV 65*
I./II. Allemand A – Courant A – Allemand B – Courant B                
III. Saraband
IV. Fuga Finalis

JOEP STRAESSER (1934–2004): Music for Marimba (1994)^†

FRED HERSCH (b. 1955) / TRADITIONAL SCOTTISH, adapt. Nancy Zeltsman: West Virginia Rose / The Water Is Wide (2013)*

VIDEO (directed by Mary Trunk and Paul Sanchez): The Past Is in the Present—At Home with Gunther Schuller 
Celebrating Gunther Schuller’s Centennial, 2025

GUNTHER SCHULLER (1925–2015): Marimbology (1993)^
III. Sarabande
IV. Toccata

PAUL SIMON (b. 1941): Amulet (2008)^

ANTÔNIO CARLOS JOBIM (1927–1994), arr. Mau Coli/Nancy Zeltsman: Água de Beber (Drinking Water) (1959)* 

MANUEL M. PONCE (1882–1948), adapt. Nancy Zeltsman: Por ti, mi corazón (For you, my heart) from Tres Canciones Populares Mexicanas (ca. 1925)*

*premiere of this adaptation/arrangement

^†world premiere
^dedicated to/premiered by Zeltsman

This program, “drinking water,” reflects and celebrates rejuvenation and renewal. My deepest thanks to Berklee for the sabbatical I was granted for the fall 2024 semester: my first break from teaching in 30 years. The students I have had the honor to teach in this time have kept my heart young and soaring. Preparing this program, I strove to regain the mindset I felt when I was their age, and younger, and immersed in playing. The focus of my project was reviving my performing activities via developing and touring “drinking water.”

Except for Schuller’s and Simon’s works (which I premiered years ago) all the pieces you will hear tonight have not previously been performed on marimba, to my knowledge. The music has American, Brazilian, Dutch, German, Italian, Mexican, and Scottish origins—stylistically representing baroque, classical, contemporary classical, historical folk, jazz, Latin, pop, and world music. Intentionally, most of the pieces may strike you as feeling familiar stylistically, while they are all a bit obscure—to hopefully be refreshing for all of us. I will record the new pieces and a few others during 2025 for a new album, drinking water.

A memory came to me early in 2024, shortly after I learned my sabbatical request was approved. When my father was in his late 90s and woke up in the morning or from a nap, he loved to prop himself up to carefully take a sip of water. He would hold it in his mouth for a minute or so. Gradually, his eyes would begin to sparkle and widen; usually he would crack a little smile, and … he was himself again! Hence, the name of the program.

—Nancy Zeltsman

Nancy Zeltsman has been a leading marimba specialist for over 40 years. She has performed and taught across the US and Europe and in Japan, China, Mexico, and Brazil. Zeltsman can be heard on numerous albums as a soloist, as well as with Marimolin, her duo with violinist Sharan Leventhal (since 1985) and with her marimba duo partner, Jack Van Geem (since 2000). She had a hand in over 150 solo and chamber works composed for the marimba. Zeltsman has taught marimba and chamber music at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Berklee College of Music since 1993. She founded and served as artistic director of Zeltsman Marimba Festival, which was attended by over 600 participants between 2001 and 2018. Zeltsman was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2022. Learn more about Zeltsman. 

Zeltsman extends very special thanks to Berklee for supporting her sabbatical project.

Senior Manager of Concert Services – Luis Herrera 
Coordinator, Concert Services – Matthew Carey
Concert Production Manager – Kendall Floyd
Performance Technology Technicians – Sara Pagiaro, Goran Daskalov