Isthmus Instruments

Make Music Madison was an amazing day of live music performances all over the city. Here are a few peaks at some of our favorites! Addi Faerber and Max Neal Drums shared their musical talent on Isthmus Instruments handpans around Madison! It's amazing to see what our community creates with these instruments and how they share it within their community. Can’t wait until next year! Check the comments for snippets of their performances. Enjoy :)

It’s Feature Friday! This week we are featuring our customer Tuf Francis from Michigan and his debut album, “Outside,” releasing on June 26th, 2024:

Step into nature with, “Outside,” an intoxicating tapestry of natural environmental sounds seamlessly interwoven with a unique variety of expertly played, masterfully mixed and elegantly harmonized instruments. We couldn’t be prouder to be a part of his track, “Lissie Bee,” which features our very own Isthmus Instruments Custom E Sabye . Sending heartfelt congratulations to Tuf on such inspiring sonic creations!

Happy Friday! Relax into the weekend with some uplifting handpan music featured on our new C Golden Gate 13. We really enjoyed this build and hope you do too! Have a great weekend :)

Isthmus Instruments - C Golden Gate 13 Stainless Steel Handpan https://www.isthmusinstruments.com/C Golden Gate 13 Handpan by Isthmus Instruments.Notes: (A B) C/(D) E (F #) G B C D F # G B

Some of the Instruments team providing some lovely background music at UW Madison's Flow Collaborative Gallery! What a perfect pairing handpan was for this water themed Flow art project. Check out some of the amazing art! 😄🎶🌊

Check out this incredible TEDx talk featuring Tuminaro on his Isthmus Instruments C Major handpan! Its easy to just fall into a state of calm when he plays. And we love seeing the positive impact these instruments have on people and their mental wellbeing.

So step into a guided sound meditation for a few moments with Joel. As he puts it “I could not buy happiness, but I could buy a handpan, and that’s pretty close”

Great job sharing your passion Joel!! It was an honor to hear with you on the TedEx stage.

Sharing Peaceful Handpan Music | Joel Tuminaro | TEDxGreatMills Peaceful Music of the Handpan. Joel Tuminaro is retired, has been playing piano by ear for 45 years, plays relaxing music at Calvert Memorial Hospital, has b...

What a great concert with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) Percussion Ensemble this past weekend! Thank you Vicki P. Jenks for inviting the Isthmus Instruments Ensemble to be part of this event. It was incredible to perform and collaborate with all WYSO musicians in the world premiere of 'Tapestry', weaving percussion ensemble and handpans together!

The Isthmus Ensemble performed our repertoire, and premiered a new piece this past weekend with the percussion ensemble for their Percussion Extravaganza.
Love getting together with these humans to share and create new music and continue to bridge the gap between the handpan and percussion ensemble worlds!

Are you ready to experience the wonder and versatility of percussion? Join us for an unforgettable afternoon as the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra Percussion Ensemble and the Isthmus Instruments Ensemble come together for a truly remarkable performance.

On Saturday April 20th, we're thrilled to be a part of "Percussion Extravaganza!" - a one-of-a-kind event that will showcase the integration of handpans into the percussion ensemble setting. The highlight of the evening will be the world premiere of a brand-new piece, Tapestry, specially composed by the Isthmus Ensemble for the WYSO Percussion Ensemble.

Get ready to be captivated by the mesmerizing sounds of these unique instruments as they blend with the powerful rhythms and dynamic energy of the percussion ensemble. This collaborative performance promises to take you on a musical journey like no other, blending traditional and contemporary percussion styles in a truly awe-inspiring display. https://wysomusic.org/event/percussion-extravaganza/

When: Sat, April 20th at 1-3pm
Where: Middleton Performing Arts Center 2100 Bristol St. Middleton, WI 53562 United States

We can't wait to see you there!

Percussion EXTRAVAGANZA! - WYSO - Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras Witness the wonders of our Percussion Ensemble! They will perform at the Middleton Performing Arts Center on April 20th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

Announcing the 2023 Isthmus Handpan Gathering - April 29th, 2023 at Perennial Yoga **WE ARE SOLD OUT!!**

After a few years off, we are so excited to see our handpan community again this Spring in Wisconsin. 😆🎶☀️💐 And we're really looking forward to meeting some new handpan players and connecting through music!

Our gathering will feature several masterclasses taught by our experienced team as well as our friend, Jeremy Arndt - Heavenly3lues from Settle Into Stillness
some handpan jam/exploration time, dinner and an evening concert.

Missed out on your ticket? Signup for our newsletter so you'll be first to know about future upcoming events. See you all soon!!

Events & publications Get updates about the upcoming events of Isthmus Instruments, including our Annual Handpan Gathering and other exciting events. Check all the details here!

So cool to hear this new Song from Tiny Normous using an Isthmus C Aeolian 11! We love seeing the Isthmus family put such wonderful music out into the world!

Check out this song at the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr9l33ilUY0

Please share and support our friend Jeremy Arndt - Heavenly3lues if you can- only a few hours to do so!

Distant Vistas - New Album and Solo Tour Help me bring my new album out of my studio and into the world! Distant Vistas is a deep exploration of Handpan and Modular Synthesis.

Announcing our Behind the Music series! The composers from our new Handpan Percussion Ensemble describe the creation process and what inspired them. First up, Chris Watral talks about his piece, The Space Between.

“This piece was influenced by Taiko drumming and soundtracks from animated series like ‘Avatar’ and ‘Yasuke’. There is something about the ‘BOOM’ of the bass drum and the ‘click’ of the wood rim that draws us in as listeners. When it is used right, you can create some wonderful textures.”

-Composed by Chris Watral

Learn more about Chris’ process in the video below!

Behind the Music I The Space Between I Isthmus Handpan Ensemble I Isthmus Instruments https://www.isthmusinstruments.com/isthmus-handpan-blog/handpan-percussion-ensembleJoin us behind the music for this look into our composers process. Here we...

Today, we share the first piece from our Isthmus Handpan ensemble premiere, "The Space Between."

"This piece was influenced by Taiko drumming and soundtracks from animated series like ‘Avatar’ and ‘Yasuke’. There is something about the ‘BOOM’ of the bass drum and the ‘click’ of the wood rim that draws us in as listeners. When it is used the right way, you can create wonderful textures and emotions.

It starts with some traditional Taiko rhythms but quickly transitions into using modern or Western rhythmic patterns as you get further into the piece, beginning to set the mood and to not play the pans right out of the gate.

From there , it moves into sections that feature one pan as the melody while other players are keeping the rhythm on the bass drum or providing harmony, sometimes both at the same time! It was a lot of fun to write a part and see if people could play the pan with one hand and bass drum with the other."

-Composed by Chris Watral

Watch our newest video, The Space Between, at the link below!

https://youtu.be/mHhAYXqGcAI

The Space Between I Isthmus Handpan Ensemble I Percussion Quartet I Isthmus Instruments https://www.isthmusinstruments.com/isthmus-handpan-blog/handpan-percussion-ensembleThe Isthmus Ensemble showcases a set of handpans specifically for composit...

Now, we want to introduce you to the team behind the Isthmus Handpan Ensemble project.

Starting from the left we have Chris Watral, handpan player, builder and tuner from New Jersey. Chris has a background in music from James Madison University.

Next up is Robert Rockman, percussionist and composer from Madison, WI. Robert attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying Percussion Performance.

Third from the left, we have Maxwell Edison, a Chicago based handpan performer. Maxwell attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale, with a degree in Music business.

And finally we have Ethan Patterson, another Illinois based musician and composer. Ethan graduated from Northern Illinois University and is continuing there for his master’s degree.

Lastly, none of this would be possible without Jenny Robinson(front center), Isthmus founder and master tuner.

Check out our blog for more info:
https://www.isthmusinstruments.com/isthmus-handpan-blog/handpan-percussion-ensemble

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Happy International Handpan Day!

Today we premiered our newest project, the Isthmus Handpan Ensemble, bridging the gap between handpan music and traditional percussion ensemble.

Don't miss out! This video will only be available for the next 24 hours.

Check out the full concert below and subscribe to see these and more from the Isthmus Ensemble!

Audio for the Arts Hinckley Productions Perennial Yoga

Isthmus Handpan Ensemble I Full Concert I Percussion Quartet I Isthmus Instruments https://www.isthmusinstruments.com/isthmus-handpan-blog/handpan-percussion-ensembleTo celebrate , we are showcasing our newest recording project w...

Tune in for the Premiere in 1 hour!
https://youtu.be/wI-pmlzAglc

Have you ever noticed that the handpan is mostly played as a solo instrument? At best, a feature amongst other instruments. But we started to wonder if it could do something more.

We believe the handpan has not yet been pushed to its fullest potential.

That's why we created the Isthmus Ensemble- to explore the handpan's capacity in the field of percussion and collaborative music-making.

**Tune in tomorrow, Oct 13th, at 11am to see the full performance premier!

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Hinckley Productions Perennial Yoga Audio for the Arts

Isthmus Handpan Ensemble I Project I Isthmus Instruments **insert**https://www.isthmusinstruments.com/

Over a year in the making, we are excited to share with you our latest project!

Have you ever wondered how the handpan would sound in a percussion ensemble setting?

As handpan players and classically trained musicians, we took on this challenge. We are excited to share with you the results. Tune in this Thursday, Oct. 13th at 11AM for the Full Concert!

The Isthmus Handpan Ensemble showcases a set of handpans specifically for these compositions, each handpan adding their own strengths to the group. This ensemble features our E Minor, E Kurd 11, G Oxalis, and C Golden Gate handpans, giving us a complete G Major/E Minor set.

After many practice sessions, and individual time spent composing, we are now ready to share these first 4 compositions with the world. To truly capture this, we teamed up with Hinckley Productions and Audio for the Arts, to bring you the best videos/audio possible! Special thanks to Perennial Yoga for use of their beautiful space.

**Tune in this Thursday, Oct 13th (International Handpan day) at 11AM CST, as we will be premiering the full concert. Afterwards, these videos will be posted over the next few weeks, so you won't want to miss the premier.

Just found this gem from another Scamper!

Make sure To check out my “Handpan Flow State and the Music Within” workshop Saturday morning at 11am in the soulshine tent. Youll get to jam on some Of These beauties

And a huge thank you to Isthmus Instruments for sponsoring these workshops. It wouldn’t Be possible with out these gorgeous instruments

Tag yourself if you’re in the photo😊

The first Women's only handpan gathering in the USA is being organized!! If you've been looking for other women handpan players to connect with, this is your event! Plus in a serene & beautiful setting. Thanks to Kelly Szerenyi for sharing. We look forward to supporting the event & players and hopefully see you there!

Check it out to learn more & stay updated as the details are finalized at https://superbloomgathering.com/welcome -connected

Super Bloom

Happening now! Tune in to watch live Handpan Day 🎶

Kristie Vosburg and Sarah Frey we love this song!! Wow wow every time we hear you we can see the joy and you are getting so good as a duo!! It brings such a big smile 😃 🎶💕 hope to hear more soon

Magical Wander Written and performed by Sarah Frey and Kristie Vosburg. Performed on 7/26/21. Sarah used a D Celtic handpan, and Kristie a F Major Pentatonic handpan.