Mark Shelton

High Energy Percussion Party

It could just be the surprise hit of your concert season when Mark Shelton rolls his High Energy Percussion Party into town.  Audiences will enjoy the sounds of over a dozen instruments in a performance that blends influences from classical, jazz, folk, and pop.  Mark seeks that connection with the audience with stories and jokes that pepper the evening as he moves from four mallets to two drumsticks to bare hands.   

A marimba soloist since the early 80’s, Mark  performed works from the standard literature, but as his career progressed, he began to seek a more personal repertoire.  Original compositions and improvisations including his recently published, “Atrium Dance,” are featured in his current list of works.

Desiring a fresh melodic voice, Mark began to play the Hang, a recently developed instrument from Switzerland that combines steel pan sounds with hand drumming technique.  Audiences will love  “Luminous Lagoon” as bare hands coax out the ethereal sounds of the Hang.

The high energy / fast-paced performance style is balanced with a dose of down home anecdotes drawn from Mark’s rural west Tennessee roots and  years as a sideman, bandleader, and soloist.  

Bring the whole family...it’s for the drummer in all of us!