In this episode, I sit down with percussionist, composer, and author Russell Hartenberger for a deep and reflective conversation about sound, mentorship, history, and the long arc of a musical life. Russell’s influence on percussion performance, composition, and pedagogy is immeasurable, and this conversation traces the remarkable path that led him from a childhood in Oklahoma to the center of some of the most important musical movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
We begin with Russell’s early years studying percussion with Alan Abel in Oklahoma City and how that formative mentorship shaped his relationship to sound, mechanics, and musical discipline. Russell shares stories about studying at the Curtis Institute of Music with Fred Hinger, including the now legendary focus on sound production and timpani tone that defined his approach to every percussion instrument. We talk about why timpani study is foundational for all percussionists and how concepts of weight, touch, and resonance translate across the entire percussion family.
Russell reflects on graduating from Curtis during the height of the Vietnam War and on the sudden pivot in his life when an orchestral job offer was withdrawn because of the draft. He recounts his years performing with the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., describing how military band life mirrored many aspects of orchestral performance while also providing structure during a turbulent moment in American history. We discuss the impact of performing military funerals at Arlington National Cemetery, the discipline of daily rehearsals, and how that period ultimately created space for further academic and artistic exploration.
A pivotal chapter of the conversation centers on Russell’s graduate studies at Wesleyan University and his introduction to ethnomusicology and non-Western musical traditions. Russell describes his early studies in African Drumming, tabla, and gamelan, and how these experiences fundamentally reshaped his musical worldview. This path led directly to his introduction to Steve Reich in 1971, where Russell became involved in the creation and early performances of Drumming. He offers a rare, firsthand account of learning Reich’s music by rote, rehearsing as the piece was being written, and discovering the subtle rhythmic feel that would come to define the Reich ensemble’s sound.
We explore the formation of Nexus and how improvisation, global instrument collections, and collaboration shaped the ensemble’s identity. Russell explains how Nexus and Reich’s music intersected, how percussionists became central to rhythmic interpretation, and how early Nexus performances helped introduce Reich’s music to a broader percussion community. He reflects on how later generations of performers have built upon that foundation, adapting the music to new contexts while maintaining its core integrity.
The conversation turns deeply personal as Russell discusses his composition Requiem for Percussion and Voices. He shares the emotional and historical influences behind the work, including military funerals, childhood memories of church bells, and the symbolic role of percussion in mourning rituals. Russell explains how the piece came together organically, how its structure revealed itself through the writing process, and how adding voices expanded the work's emotional resonance.
We close by discussing Russell’s current life in retirement, his ongoing writing and scholarship, and his continued engagement with the percussion community through residencies, performances, and significant publications. Russell reflects on writing about Steve Reich’s performance practice, the evolution of interpretation across generations, and the importance of documenting lived musical experience. This episode is a profound meditation on sound, time, mentorship, and legacy from one of percussion’s most thoughtful and influential voices.
Music from the Episode:
The Desert Music (Steve Reich)
One Last Bar, Then Joe Can Sing (Gavin Bryars)
Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ (Steve Reich)
Requiem for Percussion and Voices (Russell Hartenberger)
Thank you for listening. If you have questions, feedback, or ideas for the show, please email me at brad@thebandwichtapes.com.
Music from the Episode:
The Desert Music (Steve Reich)
One Last Bar, Then Joe Can Sing (Gavin Bryars)
Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ (Steve Reich)
Requiem for Percussion and Voices (Russell Hartenberger)
Thank you for listening. If you have questions, feedback, or ideas for the show, please email me at brad@thebandwichtapes.com.