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PANDEMONIUM PERCUSSION
PERFORMERS
Michael Bell graduated at the end of 2005 and now officially holds a degree in music (double major in composition/arranging and performance) from the University of Canterbury and a diploma in jazz from the Christchurch Jazz School. He is not really sure how he managed to gain any of it, but his mum's proud.
Michael works full time scoring films, arranging, recording, producing video, gigging, teaching and has produced a feature musical film called Men Shouldn't Sing. He runs a music and video business called Orange Studio.
Musically, he is comfortable and enjoys writing, recording and performing classical music, jazz music, rock and pop music.
Roanna Cooper completed her Bachelor of Music with first-class honours in Performance Percussion at the University of Canterbury. Some of the groups she has performed with include the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Southern Sinfonia, the NZ National Youth Orchestra, Pandemonium, Woolston Brass and the National Band of NZ. Roanna is a multiple NZ Brass Bands Association ‘Open Percussion Solo’ champion. Roanna has worked as “Artist in Residence” at two Christchurch secondary schools. She has also toured as a soloist on multiple occasions with the National Band of NZ and Woolston Brass to Singapore, the UK and Europe. Roanna has spent time in America studying marimba with leading performers such as Leigh Stevens, Gordon Stout and Nancy Zeltsman.
Brett Painter is a professional musician, music teacher and environmental scientist. He is the principal percussionist of the Christchurch Symphony and has also performed with the NZ Symphony Orchestra, NZ Youth Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, the Canterbury Percussion Ensemble, brass, rock and jazz bands, and in pit orchestras for shows. These groups have provided Brett with the opportunity to perform with international artists ranging from Dame Kiri te Kanawa to Diana Krall and Elvis Presley's Band.
Emma Powell began learning drums at the age of 13 with a musical background of recorder and piano. Currently she is studying towards a Bachelor of Music in Performance Percussion at the University of Canterbury. She recently earned Grade 8 Tuned Percussion with Distinction from Trinity-Guildhall, London. She has performed with the Christchurch Youth Orchestra, New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra, Woolston Brass Band, Christchurch Youth Brass Band and the National Secondary Schools’ Brass Band as well as various other ensembles.
Vicki Price began learning percussion at the Christchurch School of Music in 1996. She is currently teaching percussion around Christchurch and has performed with various groups including the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Youth Orchestra, and the Woolston and Canterbury Foundation Brass Bands. She has also performed with choral groups and a university show band. Vicki has completed a Bachelor of Arts at Canterbury University and will be studying animal management in 2007.
Dan Spragg started learning drums and percussion at the age of 7 at the Christchurch School of Music. He has also studied at the Christchurch Jazz School. He is a full time drum tutor with over 85 students using the Drumsense Drum Tuiton Programme (check out www.drumsense.com). He has played with Orchestras, Brass Bands, Symphonic Bands, Rock Bands and Jazz Bands. He has also played in Show Bands and has many hours of recording experience. Dan was also a founding member of Pandemonium in 1998.
Jeremy Thin has played music from an early age. He is a freelance Christchurch musician, music teacher and historian with Performance Percussion and History degrees from the University of Canterbury. He has performed with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Southern Sinfonia, NZ National Youth Orchestra, Showbiz Christchurch, Pandemonium Percussion and Woolston Brass. Jeremy teaches percussion and conducts orchestras at a number of Christchurch schools and recently completed two terms working as an Artist in Schools at Christchurch Boys' High School.
Jason Wilcox is an electric and acoustic guitar enthusiast as well as the vocalist for Pandemonium. He has performed since he was a teenager and retains his love of music through and through. He composes for his trio, Three Sun Sky, and works with a variety of jazz and pop groups in Christchurch, notably his new reggae/funk group The Oreo. His love of composition has also led to the creation of a singer-songwriter set. Jason plans to release an acoustic CD soon!
Pandemonium currently consists of five percussionists (Roanna Cooper, Brett Painter, Emma Powell, Vicki Price, Jeremy Thin) and a specialist drummer (Dan Spragg), bassist (Michael Bell) and guest vocalist/guitarist (Jason Wilcox). You can read about each member below.
Past Pandemonium members include Chris Bruerton, Scott Chappell, Chris Chirnside, Steve Fischer, Martin Genet, Craig Given, Rachel Jeffries, Todd Jones, Paul Thompson, Craig Thorne, and guest vocalist Leigh Wilson.
