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Pulsus Percussion Trio

Pulsus is a percussion trio comprised of three percussion professors from across Texas. Formed in 2006, Pulsus focuses on performing works that are firmly rooted in each member's own expertise. The group regularly performs music composed by its own members, strives to develop relationships with established and emerging composers, and performs seminal percussion music of
the 20th and 21st Centuries.

The members of Pulsus include: Christopher Deane from the University of North Texas, John Lane from Sam Houston State University and Brian Zator from Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Christopher Deane

Christopher Deane is assistant professor in percussion at the University of North Texas. Prior to his appointment with UNT, he was the principal timpanist of the Greensboro Symphony for nine years and a regular performer as both percussionist and timpanist with the North Carolina Symphony for ten years. He has performed with numerous orchestras including the Cincinnati Symphony, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and the Spoleto Festival Orchestra.

Deane's chamber music experience includes performances with the Aeolian Chamber Players, the Percussion Group Cincinnati, the Mallarme Chamber Players, and the New Century Saxophone Quartet. He is a founding member of the Philidor Percussion Group. Recording experience includes the North Carolina Symphony, the Cincinnati Philharmonia, the Crofut Consort, Mallarme Chamber Players, and the St. Stevens Chamber Orchestra.

Deane has won both first and second prize in composition from the Percussive Arts Society. A number of his compositions are considered standard percussion repertoire and are played internationally. Deane has appeared as a performer, composer, or clinician at seven Percussive Arts Society International Conventions. Deane is an Artist/Educator clinician for Innovative Percussion Company and Sabian Cymbals.

John Lane

John Lane is the Assistant Professor of Percussion at Sam Houston State University. John teaches applied percussion and directs the SHSU Percussion Ensemble <http://www.shsu.edu/~percussion/>  and Steel Band. Prior to his appointment at Sam Houston State, John served as Interim Professor of Percussion at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY. He has been recognized nationally and internationally as a clinician, solo recitalist, and chamber musician specializing in the performance and creation of new music. He performed recently on a tour of Japan, performing in Hokuto City and Nagoya as part of the Hokuto International Music Festival with PULSUS  . As a solo performer and with the Bain Percussion Group, he has appeared at several Percussive Arts Society International Conventions. He has also been featured as a performer in the Van Cliburn Foundationıs concert series Modern at the Modern at the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art in Fort Worth, TX.

As a composer, his works have been featured on the Sonic Explorations concert series, the Music and Time Arts Series, the MUSIC X new musicfestival at the Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, the Loeffler New Music Symposium at Chico State University in California, and at the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center. One of his works using graphic notation, Sparrow Song, was recently published in the book, Notations 21 (New York: Mark Batty Publishers, 2008). His interdisciplinary collaborative work with Ann McCutchan (Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of North Texas) was given a featured performance at the Blurred Edges Interdisciplinarity conference at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD.

John has recorded for the Klavier and GIA record labels with the North Texas Wind Symphony and has performed and recorded alongside artists such as Keiko Abe, William Cahn, Christopher Deane, Mark Ford, and Allen Otte. His work can be heard on the television series, Wyoming Voices, on Wyoming Public Television. His writings have been published in Windsong, 21st-Century Music, Texas Band Masterıs Review and Percussive Notes. He is currently completing his DMA at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and holds degrees from the University of North Texas and Stephen F. Austin State University.

Brian Zator

Brian Zator is Assistant Professor of Music and the Director of Percussion at Texas A&M University-Commerce.  He earned his BME degree from Baylor University, MM degree from the University of Michigan and his DMA from the University of North Texas.  He is also a student of world-renowned marimba artist, Keiko Abe, having performed and studied with her in Japan.

As a marimba/percussion soloist, Dr. Zator has performed at several Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, TMEA, TBA, the California Band Directors Association convention, and in Brazil, Japan and Australia. He is active giving clinics and concerts at various colleges, high schools and state festivals. Dr. Zator and the Texas A&M-Commerce percussion ensemble presented a concert at PASIC 2006 featuring works of Minoru Miki and in 2007, released a CD entitled ³Sohmon III: New and Unknown Percussion Works of Minoru Miki.

Dr. Zator has performed with an assortment of percussion ensembles including Keiko Abe and Ensemble Clair, Asia Ensemble, the Michigan Percussion Group, and the Bain Percussion Group.  He is also a founding member of the percussion groups Pulsus and NT3.  Active within the Percussive Arts Society, he is on the Board of Directors, serves on the Keyboard and Percussion Ensemble Committees and writes reviews for Percussive Notes.  He is a performing artist and clinician for Dynasty, Innovative Percussion, Sabian and Evans.