From the blog

Welcome to my NEW Website!

Mike Schwebke at the FCP Percussion Fest in Argentina

Thanks for checking out my new website! I’ve had a blast the last few weeks working with Brian Giometti from Ductile Studios to make this happen. Not only did he create a totally new site, but we did three photo shoots to get an awesome variety head shots and artsy photos. On this new site, you’ll notice more fully-fleshed-out pages about Schwebke Instrument Restoration, and The Jazz Trials. The Music page shows my recorded discography as well as a list of pieces I have commissioned and premiered. If you have a few moments, please explore all of the pages, Photos[…]

Corona – Making due

This comes as no surprise, but this virus has caused major disruptions to the music world (the WHOLE world really).  Artists all over the world are trying to find ways to stay relevant and productive during this unprecedented downtime.  Keep an eye on YouTube and Facebook pages for live-from-home concerts/recitals, and look for opportunities to take online lessons with some of your favorite artists (even the big names aren’t touring right now!). Personally, I wil be adding content to my YouTube Channel and social media pages.  Additionally, I added a merch store where you can buy Schwebke Music and Schwebke Instrument Restoration[…]

“On the Mercurial Tides”

The last week was a busy one!  Flights to and from Chicago, the October rendition of the Jazz Trials (an awful lot of SNOW for a Halloween) and the premiere of Aaron Gage’s new work for Steelpan and Wind Ensemble! I just wanted to take a moment to thank Aaron for composing yet another piece of music for me.  This is his third ensemble work that features steelpan and his first for large wind ensemble.  It’s so much fun to have composers like Aaron create new pieces for me and to play my part in getting these works out there for[…]

FCP International Percussion Festival de Argentina!

Taylor and I just got home a few hours ago from an incredible little festival in Argentina. The Fundación Cultural Patagonia International Percussion Festival was truly awesome.  It’s like a miniature PASIC smack dab in the middle of Argentina.  Run by the FCP and Angel Frette of the Instatuto Universitario Patagónico de Artes, this festival is well-organized, nicely paced, and represents a wide slice of the percussion realm. This year’s festival featured 10 or so artists (or groups), each one giving a headline performance and masterclass/clinic.  Ramón Montagner from Brasil presented a very cool concert demonstrating his unique musical style (and insane chops!),[…]

A difficult year for NIU

I had been planning a blog post about my upcoming Argentina trip and a few other announcements, but that will wait. Al O’Connor, the founder of the NIU Steelband and long-time leader of the NIU Percussion program and dean of the School of Music has passed away. I wrote the following on Facebook yesterday when I heard Al had passed: The NIU Percussion and Steelband Family has lost another icon. Al O’Connor was a visionary, great educator, funny story teller and the kind of guy you want in your corner as an artist. Not only did he found the NIU[…]

Announcement time!

I have a couple exciting announcements! First, the Pan Rocks RUSH EP was released today!  It is available for download on most digital platforms, including the Pan Rocks website.  Click here to get your copy:  Pan Rocks Downloads! Second, I am very excited to announce that I will be traveling to General Roca, Argentina this summer as a Jazz Soloist with the Cultural Foundation Jazz Ensemble during the International Patagonia Percussion Festival!  I will share the schedule when it is released, but there will be 3 concerts in 2 cities and at least one masterclass.  It should be a blast! Lastly,[…]

We will miss you, Cliff.

I am very rarely at a loss for words, but when I heard the news last week that we lost Cliff Alexis… I was simply stunned. Cliff was a mentor, arranger, composer, teacher, tuner, pioneer, master (of many things) and legend… Most importantly to me – he was a friend, he was family. I first met Cliff when I was 12 years old at an NIU Steelband concert at the Norris Center in St. Charles, Illinois. Only a couple years into my pan journey, I went to Cliff on stage after the show and said only that “the concert was amazing!” He[…]

2018 in the rearview!

2018 was great year full of new and interesting musical experiences.  As I do every year, I want to take a few moments to reflect and playfully hint towards what is coming up! The first quarter of the year was full of logistical progress.  Mark Nelson helped mix/edit the recordings from the CariJazz! show, and I began developing the online content for the group.  The EPK page for CariJazz! can be seen HERE.  Pitching festivals and developing performing opportunities for a 8-player ensemble has been fun!  The group is looking forward to performing for you in 2019, dates will be posted[…]

Thanks!

I had a blast presenting my guest recital at NIU last week.  I want to take a moment to share my deepest appreciation for everyone involved.  The three composers for their incredible work and dedication: Kyle Krause, Aaron Gage, and Jason Mulligan – you guys are awesome! Thanks to Yuko, Paul, Scott, Joel, Jung-Bin, Claire, Fionna, Carolyn and Blaise for their incredible performances and for spending the time practicing and studying these new pieces of music. Thanks to Liam and Cliff for having me back at NIU to present this material, and to the pan majors for helping strike some[…]

Recital Week!

Today is the last Friday of October 2018.  That means I had the Jazz Trials last night, a composition seminar lecture with my great friend Kyle Krause today, and I have a new music recital at NIU in less than a week! I have many hours of rehearsing with duo partners and ensembles between now and Wednesday night, but I wanted to take a second to post the official event links! NIU School of Music Event Site (and webcast): https://calendar.niu.edu/event/michael_schwebke_4727Mike Schwebke Guest Recital Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2083943394975692 I know it’s on Halloween, but hopefully many of you can make it to see 4[…]