About Us
Our Story
CPN connects percussionists across the country interested in building bridges between percussion research and performance.
Begun as informal gathering place for Canadian percussionists at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we hosted our first in-person festival at McMaster in April of 2022, in conjunction with the Ontario Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. Titled The Space Between, that event brought together dozens of percussionists from five provinces as well as several from the US.
Thanks to a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant (PDG), we are pleased to continue offering blending virtual an in-person events free of charge to connect the Canadian percussion community .
For more information, please join our Facebook page to receive regular updates on upcoming events. An overview of our board and advisory. board appears below.
Michael Schutz, Co-founder
Michael Schutz Professor of Music Cognition/Percussion at McMaster University in Canada. Designated “University Scholar” in recognition of his work bridging music perception and performance, he conducts the percussion ensemble, teaches courses on music perception and cognition, and directs the MAPLE Lab (researching Music, Acoustics, Perception & LEarning). Prior to McMaster, Michael spent five years as Director of Percussion Studies at Longwood University, taught percussion at Virginia Commonwealth University, and performed frequently with the Roanoke Symphony,Opera on the James, Oratorio Society of Virginia, and the Lynchburg Symphony.
Fabrice Marandola, Co-Founder
Fabrice Marandola is an Associate Professor of Percussion and Contemporary Music at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University (Montreal). Previously, he was a professor of percussion at the conservatories ofAngers and Grenoble in France, a pedagogy instructor at the Conservatory of Paris, and an invited professor at the Crane School of Music (SUNY-Potsdam, NY). Marandola holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Paris IV-Sorbonne and has conducted in-depth field research in Cameroon. He became the Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology of Montreal (CIRMMT) in 2020.
Board Members
Mark Adam
PDG Co-applicant
Acadia University
Nadia Azar
PDG Co-applicant
University of Windsor
Darrell Bueckert
PDG Collaborator
Saskatoon Symphony
Aiyun Huang
PDG Co-applicant
University of Toronto
Fabrice Marandola
PDG Co-director
McGill University
Gina Ryan
PDG Collaborator
Université du Québec à Montréal
Michael Schutz
PDG Director
McMaster University
Victoria Sparks
PDG Co-applicant
University of Manitoba
Advisory Board
John R. Beck
Senior Advisor (2023-26)
Philipe Spiesser
Senior Advisor (2023-26)
Russell Hartenberger
Senior Advisor (2023-26)
Ensemble Rep
Ben Duinker (2023-24)
Architek Percussion
Percussive Arts Society Rep
Shawn Mativesky (2023-24)
QPAS President
Student Rep
Polly Aretakis (2023-24)
McGill University
Student Rep
William Chanwoo Kim (2023-24)
Western University
As percussion has typically been dominated by male-identifying individuals, we acknowledge the value of gender diversity in these spaces. As issues of EDI remain, we are actively exploring options to bring about a gender-inclusive, equitable future.
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