What is Percussion Masters

Percussion Masters documents what would otherwise be lost: the knowledge, philosophy, and craft of master percussionists — in their own words, in their own time.

No tutorials. No quick tips. Instead: space. Room for artists to share not just technique, but the thinking behind it. The stories. The doubts. The decisions that shaped their sound.

This is a long-term project. We are building an archive — searchable, citable, designed to last. Each episode enters the public domain 35 years after its release. Until then, it grows.

Who we are

Francesca Santangelo and Ben. Two people building something we believe should exist.

Francesca — a true expert in the landscape of percussion. How do you get to know a landscape? You walk it. For decades. Stages in 20+ countries. RAI Orchestra Torino. Mongolia. Festivals. Universities. Bergerault Artist since 2008. Today she knocks on open doors — to find what we know is worthy to be told.

Ben is a producer, director, and systems architect. 15+ years of experience in the world of percussion and art. With cinematic depth and high-end sound — he creates a frame for the music, personalities, biographies, voices, sounds, untold tales, musical approaches ... — treasures — meant to be heard and seen.

Together as a team, they share more than 15 years of connections with inspiring artists in our craft who became precious collaborators and friends. The artists who work with us feel there is a necessity for this format.

Episodes in progress

You want to know how they think?
Learn about their journey as an artist?
Understand their play?

Maybe what it would be
— or would have been —
like to study and learn from them.

So did we. So we asked, we went together on a walk with them,
visited some at home for you,
we researched and documented — for hours.
How they practice. Why they doubt.
How they teach. With whom they worked.
How they approach a score.
What they think about sound. What they hear that others miss.
What they love about our craft.
What keeps them going.

This is the archive we wished existed.

We're in the edit. Deep in the material.
Mastering a space — for music — for you!
So you can explore their answers, be inspired,
encouraged and empowered.

Isao Nakamura
Witness to Stockhausen, Nono, Cage. Works written for him by Hosokawa and Eötvös.
Steven Schick
US premiere of Xenakis' Psappha. Ferneyhough interpreter. A life in new music.
David Friedman
Inventor of modern vibraphone dampening technique. Jazz. Improvisation. Composition.
Emmanuel Séjourné
Composer-performer. His own works, his own words.
Marta Klimasara
Teaching Xenakis, Druckman. On mistakes, personality, and what it means to show yourself.
Jochen Schorer
In the tradition of Franz Lang. Orchestral repertoire. What juries look for — and why.
Håkon Stene
Electronics, new music now, the edges of what percussion can be.

More to come. We work steady and with precision — for your inspiration.

"Anything worthwhile takes a long time."

— Debbie Millman

What we believe

"If there is a good inspiration, it is meaningful."

Good teaching is inspiration. Learning and understanding takes years — that is what all the inspiring artists of this craft share. They share their wisdom and experience, and it is a great honor for us to create this together.

It is about responding to each other and to music. We capture that — for you.

Podcast

Conversations with voices from the percussion world. Released since 2022.

John H. Beck On lineage, sound, and a lifetime in music
Gordon Stout On marimba, expression, and creative clarity

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