Conquering the first round...

To the judge's surprise, Identity Cubed unfortunately did not advance to the final round. All of the judges were impressed with our first round, saying they saw final round potential in our performance. One judge was so moved by our choice piece, "Parade" by Guo Wen Jing.  He said it was the best performance he'd seen in the competition so far. He also said our interpretation of John Cage's "Amores" was the best out of the 16 trios that performed it in the first round. It meant a lot coming from someone who's played "Amores" for several decades now and was coached by the composer himself.

The road does not end here. We are back to the drawing board and are looking forward to future endeavors as a trio. It was an incredible opportuinity as the only black and latino trio and the only group from the United States to advance to the semi-final round of an international competition.

We are proud of our accomplishments thus far. You all played a huge part in this by thinking of us and supporting us throughout this journey.  Thank you. Stay tuned for more info on our upcoming performances throughout the Ann Arbor and local areas :)

Xavier
Identity Cubed

We made it to Semi-Finals!!

Identity Cubed did it, we made it to the semi-final round!!!  We have a very busy schedule set for the next two days....

It has been an intense first round.  The competition started with 23 registered groups and now there are 9 total moving on to play in the semi-final round with us as the only US group.  In the past they have had 7 groups advance to the semi-finals but with the competition that we have this year, the judges felt it was necessary to advance 9.  No word on how many they will advance to the finals...

Please continue to send us good vibes as we prepare for our semi-final round!  We have attached some pictures that we took during our prep for Round 1...enjoy!

Xavier
Identity Cubed

Round 1...

Greetings, from Luxembourg! Getting here was no small feat. Between the three of us, we had to lug at least 11 bags--heavy bags--full of our instruments and equipment. Once we got here, we set up shop. Andre actually brought his marimba bars and rails, and we were able to prop them up with chairs and phone books. Musicians on the go...gotta do what you gotta do.

Getting around town isn't too bad. The conservatory, where we'll be playing, is just a bus ride away. There are restaurants and stores we can easily walk to. The language barrier can be an issue, but so far we've survived. Xavier met someone who spoke Spanish and asked him everything he could.

There were originally 23 trios, but already seven have dropped out including the other two American groups. That means we're the only American trio at this competition, so we have to REPRESENT! The first round starts today, but we don't play until Tuesday. Brian picked our slot number (14) out of a hat, which is awesome because that gives us a little more time to prepare. We've also been lucky to find a big conference room right in the hotel to practice in.

At this point, we just can't wait to play. We feel confident about all the pieces in the first round. We'll keep you posted on how it goes!


Xavier
Identity Cubed

Welcome

Hey guys,

Thanks for checking out our blog. A little background for you -- we're a new Ann Arbor-based percussion trio, and right now, we're getting ready for the trip of a lifetime. In less than 24 hours, we leave for the International Percussion Competition in Luxembourg. Over the past few months, we have spent countless hours, individually and as a trio, preparing for this. That has included: scrambling to meet the application deadline, sorting through pages and pages of music, coordinating three very busy schedules, rehearsing day and night, anywhere and everywhere, translating composer notes conveniently written in French and German, building stands and even instruments themselves, ransacking the market for mallets and piezo transducers (a word we had way too much fun saying), stocking up on hardware, stalking the competition, performing for other students and our former instructors, shopping for matching dress shirts...the list goes on and on. That was whirlwind number one.

Number two starts tomorrow. We're seven hours in a plane and a layover in Amsterdam away from it. Twenty-three trios. Three rounds. One winner. It's a challenge few would be willing to take on, but we're diving in head first. Identity Cubed--that's what we're called--can't wait to make its international debut.

This blog is for all of you who have supported us along the way--with your time, advice, instruments, practice space, feedback and love. We want to keep you updated throughout the competition and beyond it...so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading.

Identity Cubed

Andre Dowell, Xavier Verna, & Brian Young