29 May 5th edition of The Space Between – Canadian Percussion Network

Imagine a conference dedicated to percussion in all its forms, bringing together students, professional percussionists, and teachers to explore topics as diverse as video game music in the marimba repertoire, creating percussion podcasts to enhance teaching, or the Gronemeier grip technique? This place and this time exist; it’s called The Space Between / À l’interstice. Organized by the Canadian Percussion Network in Hamilton, it brings together (almost) all professionals in the field for a few days.

The Canadian Percussion Network brings together percussionists from across the country, fostering connections between research and performance practice. This in-person event series, The Space Between (TSB), aims to bridge the gap between these typically siloed fields by creating new opportunities for collaboration and offering a fresh perspective on the ever-evolving world of percussion.

Since the first edition of TSB I in 2022 (McMaster University) in partnership with OPAS, the series has continued to grow. TSB II (McGill), in January 2024, co-organized with the PAS-Quebec Chapter (Percussive Arts Society), welcomed over 160 percussionists from Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Japan. TSB III brought the CPN to the East Coast (Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia), and TSB IV, in collaboration with Prairie Percussion, brought together musicians and researchers at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

We are thrilled to return to Hamilton for TSB-V, where it all began. Organized by Michael Schutz, co-founder of the CPN, this event will take place at McMaster University from May 28 to 30, 2025, once again in collaboration with the OPAS. As interest in this event continues to grow, it will offer new opportunities for networking and collaboration in the fields of percussion practice and research.

All of this, of course, will be spiced up with plenty of performances by the guest percussionists. And we’ll be there!!