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Kirk Brundage is part of a new generation of percussionists who have had western training, and have subsequently immersed themselves in another culture.
Kirk got his professional start in his native up-state New York playing in symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, and theater productions under conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov and Doc Severinson. He also played as a sideman for various entertainers such as Engelburt Humperdinck, Jerry Vale, and Donald O’Conner. With an MFA in percussion from CalArts, Kirk went on to win many awards, including a Fulbright Scholarship to Denmark, the International Solo Music Competition of the German Radio (Munich), a Rockefeller grant to Mexico, and a Rotary Exchange grant to Japan. Kirk has received critical acclaim for his solo recitals given in Europe, Mexico, and the United States. With the Maelstrom Percussion Ensemble he recorded a series of 3 CD’s for the Swiss Label hatART, featuring the percussion music of John Cage, Lou Harrison and James Tenney.
Kirk then changed artistic direction, focusing on percussion of the African Diaspora. He has studied with master drummer Bernard Woma from the National Dance Company of Ghana, and traveled to Cuba to study with Los Muñequitos de Matanzas. His primary concentration, however, has been Afro-Brazilian percussion from historic and mystical Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. There, he studies the religious drumming of Candomble, the Berimbau of Capoeira, the roots of Samba, as well as modern Carnaval and pop styles. He has played in Brazilian Carnaval many times with the world-renowned percussion group Bloco Afro Olodum. Kirk is currently writing an instructional book entitled: “Afro-Brazilian Percussion Guide: From Mystic Roots to Contemporary Carnaval.”
LA-based, Kirk has appeared at the Hollywood Bowl, the Ford Theater, the LA Music Awards and American Idol Underground. He also performs with the Viver Brasil Dance Company in their high-energy presentations of Afro-Brazilian culture.
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