Pete's Percussion Podcast - Pete Zambito

West Virginia University Director of the School of Music and Director of the World Music Performance Center Mike Vercelli stops by to talk about his work at WVU along with their incredible percussion inventory (03:10), his work navigating the new financial reality for colleges and the importance of developing entrepreneurship in students (18:00), growing up in New Hampshire, his percussion and music background, his unusual lessons background, and playing in rock bands and youth orchestra (29:50), attending UConn for undergrad, his various teachers at the program, and the growth of men’s and women’s college basketball there (38:30), his master’s degree at Bowling Green State (OH) and his first prominent experiences in world percussion, including his first trip to Ghana (45:05), taking time away from school, teaching and freelancing in Ohio and Arizona, heading to the University of Arizona for his doctorate, and his 6 months of study in Ghana (54:05), and finishing with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on the inclusion of world percussion in a western arts curriculum, making hot sauce and spicy foods, travel writer Paul Theroux, New England seafood, bad jobs, wild performance situations, and the Smithsonian African American History Museum (01:19:15).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 film Project: Hail Mary (01:52:15).
Mike Vercelli Links:
Mike Vercelli’s WVU page
Learning Gyil - Mike Vercelli
Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:
Jason Baker in 2020
Alex Weir in 2026
Norman Weinberg in 2017
Josh Armstrong in 2018
Daniel Smithiger in 2017
Megan Arns in 2017
Other Links:
WVU’s World Music page
Phil Faini
Ellie Mannette
Paschal Younge
Tim Peterman
Mantle Hood
Alexander Lepak
Peter Coutsouridis
Roger Schupp
Steven Cornelius
Abraham Adzenyah
Emmanuel Agbeli
Gary Cook
Teaching Percussion - Gary Cook
Jonathan Latta
Scott Shinbara
Erick Saoud
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring trailer
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey trailer
Captain America: The First Avenger trailer
On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey - Paul Theroux
Raves:
Project: Hail Mary trailer

Minneapolis-based musician, educator, percussionist, recording artist, and visual artist Jenny Klukken stops by to talk about her portfolio career and the challenges of playing marimba in small rooms (04:50), her recording and compositional process, her new album Marimba Standard, and the importance of entrepreneurship in the arts (24:30), growing up in rural Minnesota, her enjoyment of jazz and early country music, Spotify Wrapped, and focusing on listening to albums (43:25), attending the University of Minnesota for undergrad, working through 4-mallet grips, her experiences attending the Zeltsman Marimba Festival, her puppetry career as “Jenny and the Pets”, and combining musical artistry with her visual artistry (01:05:45), and finishing with the Random Ass Questions, including her experiences as a woman in the arts, cooking stories, movies that inspire and/or infuriate, pet names and their backstories, living on a dairy farm, and Pat Metheny (01:35:25).
Finishing with a remembrance on the passing of an important living being (02:00:00).
Jenny Klukken Links:
Jenny Klukken’s website
Jenny Klukken’s new album Marimba Standard
Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:
Fernando Meza in 2020
Eri Isomura in 2024
Josh Graham in 2025
Marco Schirripa in 2022
Abby Fisher in 2021
Lynn Vartan in 2019
Other Links:
Steve Yeager
Eric Sammut
Pete’s Marimba album
“Shadows of the Night” - Pat Benatar
Angela Myles Beeching
“Don’t Fence Me In” - Gene Autry
“Crowded Table” - The Highwomen
Nickel Creek’s NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
Nancy Zeltsman
Jack van Geem
Ivana Bilic
Maurice’s
Katarzyna Mycka
Keiko Abe
The Emperor’s New Groove trailer
The Devil Wears Prada trailer
The Little Mermaid trailer
Rebecca trailer
Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
James - Percival Everett
“Kin” - Pat Metheny

Sandbox Percussion Group member, as well as freelancer, percussionist, and educator Jonny Allen stops by to talk about all things Sandbox Percussion, including the beginnings of the band, member responsibility to each other, and getting to teach (03:20), their work with Andy Akiho on Seven Pillars (29:05), Jonny’s work with the American Modern Opera Company (40:45), growing up in Connecticut, his drumset and marching band beginnings, and his sports background (44:55), going to Eastman (NY) for undergrad and studying with Michael Burritt and John H. Beck (54:00), going to Yale (CT) for grad school and studying with Robert Van Sice (01:06:05), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including sections on percussion logistics, problems using Zoom, New Haven pizza, great books and podcasts, New England Patriots Football, and Dutch Minimalism (01:21:30).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 Oscars Telecast (01:51:00).
Jonny Allen links:
Jonny’s Sandbox Percussion page
Seven Pillars - Andy Akiho
American Modern Opera Company
Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:
Victor Caccese in 2019
Ian Rosenbaum in 2025
David Skidmore in 2025
Sean Connors in 2025
Peter Martin in 2025
Robert Dillon in 2025
Todd Meehan in 2017
Megan Arns in 2017
Other links:
NEXUS
So Percussion
Amadinda
Percussions de Strasbourg
Robert van Sice
Bang on a Can
“to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem” - Andy Akiho
Time Travelers percussion
Michael McQuilken
Matthew Aucoin
“Purple Haze” - Jimi Hendrix Experience
John H. Beck
Michael Burritt
Leigh Howard Stevens
Steve Gadd
Yale Percussion Group
“Third Construction” - John Cage
Modern Apizza
Pepe’s Pizzeria
Sally’s Apizza
BAR New Haven
Catch Me If You Can trailer
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer
The Love Guru trailer
Holes - Louis Sachar
The Three-Body Problem - Liu Cixin
Patriots Unfiltered
Patriots - Seahawks Super Bowl LX
The Telepathy Tapes
Jacob Collier
Cinque terre Italy
Canto Ostinato - Simeon Ten Holt
Raves:
2026 Oscars

McGill University (QB) Percussion Professor and co-founder of the Percussion Group Sixtrum Fabrice Marandola stops by to talk about his job at McGill, his teaching career in France prior to moving to Canada, the nature of entrepreneurship, and supervising the new percussion space at the University (04:05), all things Sixtrum, along with the importance of applying for grants and being a nonprofit (27:10), growing up in central France and an overview of his career (42:30), the city of Paris and its relationship with the rest of the country, as well as his time as a French folk dancer (53:20), his undergrad years at the Superior National Conservatory of France, and his studies in music theory and harmony (01:09:30), his ethnomusicological background and his studies in Cameroon (01:17:50), and stays around for the Random Ass Questions, including discussions of sound production and musical re-creation, working and performing with his spouse, Kristie Ibrahim, great French authors, adventures in food, and inspiring art (01:29:30).
Finishing with a Rave on the best films of the 2026 True/False Documentary Film Festival (02:02:40).
Fabrice Marandola links:
Fabrice’s McGill page
Sixtrum
Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:
Kristie Ibrahim in 2024
Aiyun Huang in 2023
Gina Ryan in 2026
Megan Arns in 2017
Other Links:
TorQ Percussion Quartet
Percussions de Strasbourg
Frederic Macarez
Jacques Delécluse
“Psappha” - Iannis Xenakis
Apocalypse Now trailer
Red Grass - Boris Vian
Claude Levi-Strauss
Victor Hugo
Discourse on the Method - Rene Descartes
Raves:
True/False 2026

Principal Percussionist with the San Francisco Symphony and Director of Percussion Studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Jake Nissly stops by to talk about both of his positions, the orchestral auditions process, his mentors, being versatile in many genres of percussion, and his experiences with the Detroit and Cleveland Symphonies (03:30), specifics about the Principal Percussion Duties and the excellence of Davies Symphony Hall (28:30), his teaching position and his recent commissioning projects (35:15), growing up in Iowa, having family in the arts, being a highly motivated young person, making early connections to Northwestern (IL) and percussion versatility (45:50), his undergrad years at Northwestern and studying with Michael Burritt (01:04:10), going to Juilliard (NYC), freelancing in New York, and eventually earning a spot in the New World Symphony (01:14:00), and finishing with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on working with young composers, his personal commitment to physical and mental health and long-distance running all over the world, lots of great books, memorable Chicago Cubs moments in his life, coaching his son’s baseball team, and the excellence of Steve Reich (01:20:15).
Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films (01:58:40).
Jake Nissly links:
Jake’s SFSO page
Jake’s SFCM page
Jake’s Vic Firth page
Jake’s Aspen Music Festival page
Losing Earth - Adam Schoenberg
Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:
Will James in 2017
Steven Schick in 2025
Patti Niemi in 2018
Matthew Coley in 2021
Eric Hollenbeck in 2025
David Skidmore in 2025
Sean Connors in 2025
Peter Martin in 2025
Robert Dillon in 2025
Other Links:
Percussion Concerto - Andy Akiho
Katherine Siochi
Rene Orth
PEAUX from Pleades - Iannis Xenakis
Doug Perkins
Michael Tilson Thomas
“Suire for Violin and American Gamelan” - Lou Harrison
San Francisco Symphony Musicians
Michael Burritt
Paul Wertico
James Ross
Gregory Zuber
Daniel Druckman
Roland Kohloff
Joseph Petrasek
Robert Klieger
Eric Renick
Michael Israelievitch
Sergio Carreno
Richard Weiner
Marc Damoulakis
California Percussion & Backline Rentals
How to Write for Percussion - Sam Solomon
Davies Symphony Hall
Jack van Geem
Haruka Fuji
Tito Muñoz
Clair Omar Musser
Colts Drum & Bugle Corps
Woody Smith
Michael Pfaff (“Tortilla Man”)
Bill Stewart
Dave Weckl
“If I Wanted To” - Melissa Etheridge
“Kiss from a Rose” - Seal
“Third Construction” - John Cage
Kris Keeton
Annie Stevens
“Michi” - Keiko Abe
Eric Garcia
Brett Dietz
“Kin” - Pat Metheny
The Usual Suspects trailer
Ghostbusters trailer
Groundhog Dog trailer
The Matrix trailer
Barbie trailer
1984 - George Orwell
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Marukami
Absolutely on Music: Conversations on Seiji Ozawa - Haruki Marukami
Music Has a Right to Children - Boards of Canada
Cubs win the World Series
The Bartman Incident
B-Bop’s
Music for 18 Musicians - Steve Reich
Mallet Quartet - Steve Reich
Drumming: Part 1 - Steve Reich
Music for Pieces of Wood - Steve Reich
Clapping Music - Steve Reich
Raves:
The 2026 Oscars Animated Film Shorts Nominees