The Galaxy percussion collective will present a program centered around the work of its founder, Michael Udow. Performers will include soloists Anthony DiSanza and Pius Cheung, and ensemble members Shoko Araya, Roger Braun, Joseph Gramley, Renee Keller, Payton MacDonald, Takako Nakama, Dan Piccolo, and Patrick Roulet. 

Free and open to the public. This concert will also be live streamed.

The Galaxy percussion collective was formed when renowned marimbist Keiko Abe asked Michael Udow to put together a professional group of former students to tour with her in Japan. That original ensemble included Payton MacDonald, Anthony Di Sanza, Christopher Froh, Roger Braun, and Michael Udow himself. Galaxy enjoyed several tours of Japan with Keiko Abe performing her original compositions, with an expanded group that included Trey Wyatt and Joseph Gramley.

In 2001, Galaxy performed an evening concert with Ms. Abe at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. Soon after, Kang-ku Lee invited Galaxy to tour in South Korea with his Akademie Percussion Ensemble (APE). Galaxy was invited back to South Korea for a televised festival performance with APE and the Swiss percussion group QuaDrums.

This concert will feature former students of Dr. Udow, all consummate artists and educators, who have come together to honor the legacy of his career as a performer, educator, composer, and inventor. The program will feature a selection Udow’s own compositions, including a performance of his seminal Timbrack Quartet by the BGSU Percussion Ensemble, as well as a screening of Udow’s award-winning animated film, Echoes of the Past.

Two days after the concert in Bowling Green, the ensemble will perform again at the 2022 Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, IN, where Dr. Udow will also be inducted into the society’s Hall of Fame.