Information provided by the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra
MUNSTER, Ind. (January 23, 2024) – Enjoy a Sunday afternoon performance of the Symphony’s Percussion Ensemble, Sunday, February 4 at 2:30 p.m. at the Theatre at the Center in Munster. The concert will feature percussionist Andy Cierny, Brandon Podjacek and Jeff Handley.
Percussionists will perform a variety of instruments in the percussion family including vibraphone, xylaphone, congas, tom-toms, snare drum, drumset, and even their own hands. Some of the pieces they will perform include Stamina by Mithc Markovitch, Group Therapy for One by David Wach, Trance by David Friedman, Clapping Music by Steve Reich, and more.
Andy Cierny currently is the Principal Percussionist for the Northwest Indiana Symphony. He is also the principal at the Illinois Symphony and New Philharmonic and holds positions with the South Bend Symphony, Lansing Symphony, and Illinois Philharmonic. He regularly plays with Chicago Philharmonic and Chicago Opera Theater. From 2004-2008, he was a member of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. He also performed in high capacity with the Milwaukee Symphony for ten seasons, traveling to Carnegie Hall with the MSO in 2012 to perform in the “Spring for Music” festival. Alongside orchestral playing, Andrew plays drumset around Chicago with the jazz group Bopology.
Based in Chicago, percussionist Brandon Podjasek can be seen performing on many stages across the region. An active Broadway musician, Brandon has performed for productions at Broadway in Chicago theaters, The Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Paramount Theater (Aurora, IL), and the Writers Theater performing such shows as “Wicked,” “Mary Poppins,” “Legally Blond,” “Into the Woods,” and many others. A regular on “period instruments” Brandon is Principal Percussion/Timpani for the Haymarket Opera, the Bella Voce Sinfonia, and the Callipygian Players. An active educator, Brandon is on faculty and North Park University and The Merit school of music.
Jeff Handley is a highly sought after percussionist and educator in Chicago. Jeff has organized Music Education programs in schools for over 25 years, collaborating with Chicago Sinfonietta, Fulcrum Point, Ravinia, and The DuPage Foundation. In 2019, Jeff received the “Ford Musicians Award for Excellence in Community Service” by the American League of Orchestras. As a percussionist, Jeff performs with: Chicago Sinfonietta, Lyric Opera, Grant Park Symphony, and Tower Brass. Jeff was recently heard with Andrea Bocelli, Johnny Mathis, Placido Domingo, Hugh Jackman, Mannheim Steamroller, and productions of “Wicked”, “Aladdin”, “West Side Story”, and “Beautiful.”
Tickets for the concert are general admission, adults $30 each and students are $10. Call the Symphony office at (219) 836-0525 or visit the website at www.NISOrchestra.org to order tickets.
