Masterclass

XXVII Festival Internacional de Percusión

Sep 16, 2026 – Sep 17, 2026

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico

Percusión orquestal: comprender para interpretar

Two masterclasses on orchestral percussion, guided by the MTDM Method — connecting analysis, listening and imagined sound to technical decisions.
Both sessions are dynamic and participatory: every student takes an active part, whatever their level, and leaves with tools applicable to any repertoire. The MTDM Method document is provided as working material for the two days.

Programme.

Día 1 — Los timbales sinfónicos

Tuning, sound, technique and repertoire in the service of interpretation. Working from well-known orchestral excerpts, the session explores how an interpretation is built: listening, analysing, imagining the sound result, and making technical decisions from a musical intention. Repertoire may include Beethoven (Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 9), Tchaikovsky (Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 and 6), Stravinsky (Le Sacre du printemps), Bartók (Concerto for Orchestra) and Mahler (Symphony No. 1).


Día 2 — La sección de percusión

Snare drum, accessories and keyboards: sound, colour and expression in the orchestral context. Repertoire may include:
Snare drum — Prokofiev (Peter and the Wolf), Rimsky-Korsakov (Scheherazade), Jacques Delécluse.
Xylophone — Gershwin (Porgy and Bess), Messiaen (Oiseaux exotiques), Ligeti (Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, III. Vivace cantabile).
Glockenspiel — Mozart (Die Zauberflöte), Dukas (L'Apprenti sorcier).
Vibraphone — Bernstein (West Side Story).
Tambourine — Bizet (Carmen, Danse bohème), Chabrier (España), Dvořák (Carnival Overture), Ravel (Daphnis et Chloé), Ginastera (Malambo).
Castanets — Rimsky-Korsakov (Capriccio espagnol), Debussy (Iberia).
Cymbals — Tchaikovsky (Romeo and Juliet, Symphony No. 4).
Triangle — Bizet (Carmen, Danse bohème), Dvořák (Symphony No. 9), Liszt (Piano Concerto No. 1).