Past Concerts
Join us Tuesday, September 9th at 7pm for the New York Percussion Series featuring Percussion People. The group will be join by percussion and vocal virtuoso Yuri Yamashita. The concert will highlight an all-percussion evening of Brazilian jazz featuring a collection of percussion instruments from around the globe.
Michael Sgouros has served as music director and composer for the Off Broadway shows Percussion People, The Selfish Giant, Treasure Island, Stone Soup, A Christmas Carol, Cinderella, Phantom of the Opera (Sgouros and Bell), The Little Mermaid, Alice In Wonderland, Tico Tales, Sleepy Hollow, Frankenstein and Beauty and the Beast. A native New Yorker, Michael has enjoyed performing as drummer/percussionist in a variety of musical settings which have included the American Symphony, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Ethos Percussion Group, Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus and the Broadway productions of The Secret Garden, Falsettos, The Goodbye Girl, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera. Michael is proud to endorser of Innovative Percussion, Grover Pro Percussion and Yamaha Music.
Known for his sensitive and pianistic music making, Chandler Beaugrand is an active marimbist and freelancing percussionist based in New York City, NY. He has performed numerous solo, chamber, and orchestral works throughout the USA, Europe and Asia with a wide array of ensembles such as: Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, The Boston Ballet School, Trentino Festival Orchestra (Italy), Brookline Symphony, Ideas Not Theories Theatrical Percussion Show, World Percussion Group and many more.
Performer, composer, and educator Sean Statser has been called “Lithe, muscular, and mesmerizing" by the New York Times. As an advocate for new music, Mr. Statser actively collaborates with several New York City artists and ensembles including: the Grammy-nominated Metropolis Ensemble, Argento New Music, Ensemble LPR, and Iktus Percussion. He has premiered over 200 works to date by composers Jason Treuting, Timothy Andres, Caleb Burhans, Kati Agocs, Vivian Fung, Angelica Negron, John Luther Adams and Elliot Carter (NY Premiere), among others.
Emily Sgouros is a New York based producer, composer, and percussionist. Under the pseudonym SQORE, they write with the intent to synthesize contemporary melodic ideas with experimental electronic sounds. With a foundation in classical percussion and jazz vibraphone (BA, The New School), they’ve written, performed, and recorded in a wide variety of projects which have brought them to venues and festivals within NYC and across the country, including SXSW, Winter JazzFest and Riot Fest.
Christopher Natale is a freelance percussionist based in NYC. He has subbed for The Great Gatsby on Broadway and The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. Internationally, Christopher was the percussionist for the The Sound of Music Global Tour. He has served as the percussionist for a number of Off-Broadway shows, including Frankenstein, Here There Be Dragons - A New Musical Quest, A Christmas Carol, Beauty and The Beast (Sgouros and Bell), Sleepy Hollow and others. On television, Christopher played marimba for NFL Countdown’s tribute to Phil Collins on ESPN with the NYU Percussion Ensemble. Christopher has also served as the orchestrator and percussionist for the Off-Broadway musical comedy After Happily Ever After, and has rehearsed/performed with other major ensembles such as The New York Pops, New Haven Chorale, and Chelsea Symphony. He also appears on the Off-Broadway cast album for After Happily Ever After. Christopher is an endorsement artist for Innovative Percussion.
Yuri Yamashita is a magnetic force onstage—a renowned percussionist and vocalist whose sultry, smoky voice dances over bold, lively rhythms. Drawing from the soul of Brazilian music, she brings fresh fire to classic bossa nova, MPB (música popular brasileira), and beyond. Hailed as “brilliant” (Financial Times) and “a standout” (Los Angeles Times), Yuri captivates audiences with emotional depth, fearless artistry, and a presence that’s impossible to ignore.
She has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Seattle Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and has collaborated with boundary-pushing artists and ensembles including Tyondai Braxton, Tan Dun, David Lang, David T. Little, Stewart Copeland, David Byrne, Bang on a Can’s Asphalt Orchestra, and Alarm Will Sound.
On Broadway, Yuri has brought her rhythmic artistry to nearly 30 productions, holding percussion chairs for TINA: The Tina Turner Musical, Here Lies Love, and currently The Great Gatsby. Originally from Takarazuka, Japan, she now shares her passion for music with the next generation as a faculty member at Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School High School in New York City.
Michael Sgouros - artistic director
Chris Natale
Emily Sgouros
Sean Statser
Chandler Beaugrand
New York Percussion Series
Tuesday, September 9th at 7pm
Percussion People with guest Yuri Yamashita