Britton Matthews recently originated the drum book for the off-Broadway musical Millennials are Killing Musicals (book and music by Nico Juber) presented by Out of the Box Theatrics. She has also worked as a sub musician at SIX, the Yiddish revival of Fiddler on the Roof, The Nutty Professor, Group! The Musical, and The Hello Girls. She held the chair for the US premiere production of Phillip Pulman's The Firework Maker’s Daughter (New Victory Theater, NY). Additionally, Britton has premiered more than ten original musicals with Sgouros & Bell at the historic Players Theatre in Greenwich Village, NYC.
Past Concerts
Arthur Lipner specializes in vibes, marimba and steel pans. He has appeared on over 50 albums and presented 300+ workshops on six continents, teaching at some of the world’s most prestigious schools including Juilliard and the Royal College of Music. Lipner's compositions and albums are considered important stepping stones in furthering the literature and musical settings for his instruments. Arthur has written numerous method books and compositions/arrangements which have become standard works in percussion. He has many credits as an active NYC session player for a variety of media. Lipner is the main character in the documentary TALKING STICKS. Arthur has toured overseas nearly 100 overseas times, most recently in China & Russia (2019).
Michael Sgouros has served as music director and composer for the Off Broadway shows Percussion People, The Selfish Giant, Treasure Island, Stone Soup, A Christmas Carol, Cinderella, Phantom of the Opera (Sgouros and Bell), The Little Mermaid, Alice In Wonderland, Tico Tales, Sleepy Hollow, Frankenstein and Beauty and the Beast. A native New Yorker, Michael has enjoyed performing as drummer/percussionist in a variety of musical settings which have included the American Symphony, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Ethos Percussion Group, Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus and the Broadway productions of The Secret Garden, Falsettos, The Goodbye Girl, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera. Michael is proud to endorser of Innovative Percussion, Grover Pro Percussion and Yamaha Music.
Jack Mansager has been a freelance percussionist and educator in the New York City area for the past 25 years. A native of Norwalk Connecticut, Jack enjoys playing a variety of percussion books on broadway in Disney’s The Lion King, and, back in 2001, was a featured performer in the Tony award winning show Blast!. He was a founding member of the original Percussion People and is excited to be back performing at The Players Theatre. Jack currently lives in Hackensack with his wife and daughter, and teaches music, educational technology, and robotics at The Town School in Manhattan.
Performer, composer, and educator Sean Statser has been called “Lithe, muscular, and mesmerizing" by the New York Times. As an advocate for new music, Mr. Statser actively collaborates with several New York City artists and ensembles including: the Grammy-nominated Metropolis Ensemble, Argento New Music, Ensemble LPR, and Iktus Percussion. He has premiered over 200 works to date by composers Jason Treuting, Timothy Andres, Caleb Burhans, Kati Agocs, Vivian Fung, Angelica Negron, John Luther Adams and Elliot Carter (NY Premiere), among others.
Emily Sgouros is a New York based producer, composer, and percussionist. Under the pseudonym SQORE, they write with the intent to synthesize contemporary melodic ideas with experimental electronic sounds. With a foundation in classical percussion and jazz vibraphone (BA, The New School), they’ve written, performed, and recorded in a wide variety of projects which have brought them to venues and festivals within NYC and across the country, including SXSW, Winter JazzFest and Riot Fest.
Christopher Natale is a freelance percussionist based in NYC. He has subbed for The Great Gatsby on Broadway and The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. Internationally, Christopher was the percussionist for the The Sound of Music Global Tour. He has served as the percussionist for a number of Off-Broadway shows, including Frankenstein, Here There Be Dragons - A New Musical Quest, A Christmas Carol, Beauty and The Beast (Sgouros and Bell), Sleepy Hollow and others. On television, Christopher played marimba for NFL Countdown’s tribute to Phil Collins on ESPN with the NYU Percussion Ensemble. Christopher has also served as the orchestrator and percussionist for the Off-Broadway musical comedy After Happily Ever After, and has rehearsed/performed with other major ensembles such as The New York Pops, New Haven Chorale, and Chelsea Symphony. He also appears on the Off-Broadway cast album for After Happily Ever After. Christopher is an endorsement artist for Innovative Percussion.
Michael Sgouros - artistic director
Andrew Beall
Jack Mansager
Britton Matthews
Chris Natale
Emily Sgouros
Sean Statser
New York Percussion Series
Monday, February, 10th at 7pm
Percussion People with guest Arthur Lipner
Hailed by NY Classical Review as “Spectacularly Virtuosic”, international composer/performer Andrew Beall’s work has been performed in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and North/South America. Grammy-winning Broadway Records released albums of his musicals, Song of Solomon (starring Tony-nominee Ramin Karimloo) and Platinum Girls (starring Tony-winner Beth Leavel) both of which have been produced on the international and domestic stage, and Goodbye New York, a commission by NewYorkRep, will receive it’s London premiere in the ‘24/’25 season.