– The Festival de Música Española de León will be using some of my instruments on several of the concerts scheduled for the 2026 season.
– On the 4th, the Joven Orquesta de Asturias will be using two of my timpani on a concert featuring works by Arriaga, Haydn and Mozart. Centro de Cultura “Antiguo Instituto” in Gijón (Sept. 4th).
– There are some new instruments in my collection: a pair of Indian Gunghroo, a pair of small Moroccan qraqebs and a pair of small finger cymbals. They are all available for rental.
– I have improved the “News” section, arranging the information in monthly blocks and adding some photos.
– 10th and 11th: the Orquesta de la Fundación Filarmónica de Oviedo will be using many of my instruments in a concert dedicated to the music of Spanish movies and series.
– 1st to 5th: the Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa will be using one of my huehuetls in Carlos Chavez´s “Sinfonía India”. Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao.
– On the 29th, 30th and 31st, the Spanish National Orchestra will be using my Turkish crescent at the Spanish National Auditorium in Madrid.
– On the 13th and 14th, the English Chamber Orchestra will be using my Ludwig timpani at the Baluarte auditorium in Pamplona and the Kursaal auditorium in San Sebastián.
– On the 22nd, the Orquesta Ibérica used my Jähne & Boruvka kurbelpauken in a performance of Faure´s “Requiem”.
– 11th to 19th: the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, under Zubin Mehta, will be using my Jahne & Boruvka timpani on its Spanish tour (Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Auditori in Barcelona, Palau de la Música in Barcelona and Auditorio “Príncipe Felipe” in Oviedo).
– On the 31st I updated my blog with an article on the “petit timbale” used in “Mlada” (N. Rimsky-Korsakov) and its connection with Stravinsky. Please check it HERE.
– On the 11th I updated the blog with an article dealing with the “V” for “Victory” signal recorded by James Blades. You can read it HERE.
– On the 18th my instruments will be used by the Orquesta de la Universidad de Oviedo in a concert at the cathedral.
– On the 12th I updated my blog with an article dealing with a mistake in the uber-popular tambourine part in “Trepak” (“The Nutcracker”). You can read it HERE.
– On the 8th my instruments will be used by the OSCNC in a concert at the “Príncipe Felipe” auditorium in Oviedo.
– On the 27th I updated my blog with an article dealing with the timpani part in Mendelssohn´s “Italian” symphony. It includes a pdf file containing my full edition. You can read it HERE.
– On the 22nd I updated my blog with an article dealing with the timpani part in Mendelssohn´s “Scottish” symphony”. It includes a pdf file containing my full edition. You can read it HERE.
– On the 19th my baroque timpani will be used by Les Arts Florissants in a production of “The Fairy Queen” (H. Purcell) at the Kursaal in San Sebastián.
– 4th to 6th: the ORCAM will be using some of my Precolombian instruments in Revueltas´ “La noche de los mayas” during the Autumn Festival in San Lorenzo del Escorial.
– I now own an octave of tuned cup-shaped crotales (C-c, high octave). They are available for rental.
– Now I own a set of three Premier Academy timpani (28″, 25″ and 22.5″). Fitted with Remo Renaissance heads, they are perfect for contemporary music, setups, chamber ensembles and contexts where mobility is a plus. They are available for rental.
– On the 28 I updated my blog with an article in memoriam Kurt-Hans Goedicke. You can read it HERE.
– On the 24th the blog was updated. I am linking to the second part of the article in the “Carmina Burana” series that I am writing for GROVER PRO. Please read it HERE.
– On June 18 I added an article on my blog dealing with the bass drum part in “Symphonie Fantastique” (H. Berlioz). You can read it HERE.
– On the 30 I updated my blog with an article dealing with the timpani part in “Falstaff” (G. Verdi). I also include a pdf containing my full edition of the part. You can download it HERE.
– On the 27 my blog was updated. I am linking to the article that I wrote for Grover Pro on “Carmina Burana”. Please check it HERE.
– On the 6th and the 8th, the French orchestra specialising in historically informed performance “Le Cercle de l´Harmonie” will be using my Baroque timpani and the Jähne & Boruvka kurbelpauken for their concerts in Oviedo and San Sebastián.
– On the 5th I will be recording the Orquesta Clásica de Arriondas.
– Now I own a pair of Jähne & Boruvka “kurbelpauken” (“crank timpani”) fitted with Super Kalfo heads. Also known as “Salonpauken”, these instruments are perfect for chamber orchestras and the 19th-century repertoire (Schumann, Mendelsohnn, Weber, Beethoven, etc.). Do not hesitate to get in touch should you need me to play this repertoire on these drums. They are available for rent, too.
– On the 16th a new article was added to my blog. I write about the interpretation of several passages in “Scheherezade” and I am including a pdf with my own full edition of the snare drum part. You can read it HERE.
– On the 20th a new article was added to my blog. I deal with the timpani part in “Messiah”, showing the manuscripts and including my own edition of the part. Please check it HERE.
– Since PASIC 2024 I own a new snare drum, a Grover Pro G3T-8 (14″x8″) custom-made for me as part of my artist deal.
– I will be at PASIC 2024 presenting “Histoire Du Soldat Revisited: The Original Concept”. It will be in Room 205 at the Indianapolis Convention Center at 10:00 EDT. More information on this LINK.
– Some new instruments have been added to my collection: a Grover Pro 45th anniversary tambourine, Grover Pro TB-BS and TB-TD triangle beaters, a set of 6″, 8″ and 10″ Liberty One ganzas and a wonderful pair of NOS 19″ Zildjian cymbals. They are all available for rent.
– The October issue of Percussive Notes includes my article “Histoire du Soldat: the Original Setup”.
– On the 20th, the Orquesta Clásica de Arriondas will be using some of my instruments in a new production of “La Verbena de la Paloma” (T. Bretón).
– On the 28th I added a new article to my blog. I include my own full edition of the snare drum in the distance part in Mahler #3. You can read it HERE.
– A pair of 10″ old cymbals and a pair of Tibetan cymbals have been added to my collection. They are perfect for the early music repertoire and they are available for rent.
– On the 18th I added a new article to my blog dealing with the relationship between the bowings in the strings and the stickings on the snare drum, using “Polovtsian Dances” as an example. The video has also been added to the Grover Pro You Tube channel.
– Several of my instruments have been rented by the Fundación Valdés-Salas for the premiere of Guillermo Martínez´s work commissioned for the 1000th anniversary of the monastery in Cornellana.
– On the 4th I have added a new article to my blog describing how I converted a tomtom into a snare drum. Please read it HERE.
– There are many new instruments in my collection: a Polinesian pu´ili, two small strings of sleigh bells, a pair of rosewood claves, a set of five bronze hand-bells, two wind chimes of different sizes, a large kokiriko/binzasara, two Indian tablas, a matraca, two huéhuetl (perfect for Chavez´s “Sinfonía India”), two soprano timpani (for Ravel´s “L´enfant et les Sortileges”, Rimsky-Korsakov´s “Mlada”, Milhaud´s “La Creation du Monde”) and a LP Raw Trash Snare. They are all available for rental.
– On the 15th I published the second part of the article dealing with the “xilofono basso” in Turandot”. Read it HERE.
– My set of sticks for “Histoire du Soldat” has been already been sold to percussionist in Spain, Germany, U.S.A. and Chile.
– On the 28th I updated my blog with an article on the “xilofono basso” in Puccini´s “Turandot”. Check the first part HERE.
– On the 28th I updated my blog with an article dealing with the tambourine part in “Arabian Dance” (“The Nutcracker”), by Tchaikovsky. This article was also published on the GROVER PRO website as part of my collaboration and endorsement of the brand. Please check it HERE.
– The Oviedo Filarmonía will be using my low C tuned gong on the premiere of Martinez´s “Cloches”. It will also be used on the recording of this work between January 30 and Febraury 2, 2024.
David Valdés is a Grover Pro Artist