Hand Castanets #1

I discovered the castanets twenty years ago and fell in love with their unique sound, as well as with flamenco music. I began studies with Evelyne Lemlin (now McMillan) and later with Carmen Romero. In those early years of castanet exploration, I composed an exploratory piece, Riding the Waves, which I performed in Toronto, Beijing, and Hirosaki.

Fast forward a few years later. David Adamcyk composed a new work as part of my 2009 show "transitions", which centered around solo works for percussion, exploring the idea of transitions and movement between works. "Castanet Etude" for castanets and tape explores a range of castanet sounds and techniques.

Last year, I decided to create an initial YouTube series on the castanets. The first set of five videos features: How to Put on Castanets; Basic Strengthening Exercises for Fingers; Combining Hand and Ria; Accents; and Other Sounds. The second set of videos will be released later in 2018.

This beautiful percussion instrument holds a special place in my heart and I look forward to continue promoting the castanets, as well as commissioning and composing new works for them.