The UCF Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Thad Anderson, offers students well-rounded experiences in all facets of ensemble playing. The ensemble presents audiences with varied programs that feature significant works for idioms such as chamber, mallet, large, historic, and world ensembles. The group frequently works with composers to commission and premiere new works for percussion ensemble. Some of these recent projects have included collaborations with Marc Mellits, Tiffany Connell, Jonathan Kolm, John Psathas, Bill Ryan, D.J. Sparr, Paul Lansky, David Bennet Thomas, Charles Griffin, James Norman, and Zack Browning. The debut UCF Percussion album, Patterns, was released in 2014 and features new quartets for two marimbas and two vibraphones. The ensemble presented the New Literature for Percussion Ensemble session at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 2014 (Indianapolis, IN) and a concert of new music for clarinet and percussion ensemble at the 2017 International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest (Orlando, FL).
Escape Ten is a percussion duo formed by Dr. Annie Stevens (Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech) and Dr. Andrea Venet (Associate Professor, University of North Florida). Their inaugural performance endeavor was a three-week cross-country tour where they drove from Virginia to LA performing in 10 cities across the country. Their name ‘Escape Ten’ originates from their trademark roadtrip style performance tours in a Ford Escape, with many miles traveled on the I-10. They maintain a steady performance schedule touring nationally and internationally, consistently featured as chamber artists and clinicians at music festivals, concert series, conferences, and universities. Select appearances include performances at the Ágora Actual Percussion and WASBE 2019 festivals (Spain), the Academy of the Performing Arts (UTT) in Trinidad, the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, PASIC, The Eastman Summer Percussion Festival, and at the Leigh Howard Stevens Marimba Seminar. Through collaboration with composer Eric Guinivan, they are the recipients of a marimba duo commission awarded from the prestigious Fromm Foundation entitled Illuminations (2018). Alongside signature mallets through Malletech, they have their own publication series of works written for the duo through KPP. You can hear Escape Ten on albums Our Favorite Things (Ravello 2020), and Colours of a Groove (2014). Escape Ten proudly endorses DREAM cymbals, Black Swamp Percussion, Malletech instruments, and Remo drumheads.