Finding Her Voice: An Interview with Beverley Johnston
By Nathan Daughtrey
[EXCERPT] Canada’s premier percussionist Beverley Johnston is internationally recognized for her virtuosic and dynamic performances on a wide range of percussion instruments. Her exciting performances have been distinguished as unconventional, effectively combining classical transcriptions, contemporary music, and a touch of theatre; she is also a leader in commissioning and premiering new works for percussion. Beverley currently teaches at the University of Toronto and lives in rural Ontario with her husband, composer Christos Hatzis….
READ FULL ARTICLE [PDF]
Originally published in the Sept. 2014 issue of Percussive Notes.
Beverley Johnston: A Champion Of New, Genre-Busting Works
By David A. Brensilver
[EXCERPT] Beverley Johnston’s sixth and most-recent recording, a 2013 album titled Woman Runs With Wolves, features a collection of compelling pieces that showcase the marimba, as well as the vibraphone, numerous other percussion instruments, voice, piano, and, in many cases, audio playback. A two-movement piece titled In The Fire Of Conflict, by Johnston’s husband, Greek-Canadian composer Christos Hatzis, for example, features a prerecorded spoken-word part by an American rapper called Bugsy H. (whose real name is Steve Henry) and is made even more engaging by Hatzis’ use of studio effects…
READ FULL ARTICLE [PDF]
Used by permission, Copyright DRUM! Magazine, March 2015.