Woodstock Percussion, Inc.’s Garry Kvistad Invited Presenter at Accoustical Society of America
More than 30 years ago, Garry Kvistad repurposed a pile of discarded lawn chairs he found in a landfill. He cut the chairs’ aluminum tubes to various lengths to create a musical instrument known as a metallophone. This led him to make a windchime based on this same experiment, which sparked the creation of his company, Woodstock Percussion, Inc., makers of windchimes, known as Woodstock Chimes® and children’s musical instruments, known as the Woodstock Music Collection®. Based on his expertise as a professional musician, product developer and entrepreneur, Kvistad was asked to write a paper about materials used to create percussion instruments and present his findings at the annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, the premier international scientific society in acoustics, in Seattle.
“Music is a significant part of my life and the more I’m able to learn and share my findings with others, the more I believe we all grow as musicians and individuals,” says Kvistad. “This speaking engagement was a tremendous honor for me, as I have been a large supporter of the Acoustical Society of America and its efforts for many years.”
While most musical instruments, like woodwinds and string instruments, are made of just a few main components, percussion instruments, by contrast, are created using many different materials, which often includes exotic elements. Kvistad’s presentation covered the precision-tuned tubes used to make his Woodstock Chimes®, which have special musical qualities, both as a result of the metal fabrication, as well as the method of the chimes’ construction.
Kvistad also discussed other percussion instruments made of various materials, including nails, bottle caps, salad bowls, oil cans, drawers, cactus, animal skin and bones. In Kvistad’s early research, he discovered that instrument builders throughout the world would often reuse materials such as discarded oil cans to make steel drums rich in harmonics, animal parts left over from the food industry to make drums and shakers of all sizes and hollow cactus and bamboo to make exotic rainsticks and rattles.
While pursuing his Master’s Degree in Music from Northern Illinois University, where he also was a member of the faculty, Kvistad studied musical acoustics with Dr. Thomas Rossing, winner of the prestigious Gold Medal prize in 2009 from the Acoustical Society of America. With Dr. Rossing’s goal of keeping dialog alive between scientists and musicians, his relationship with Kvistad resulted in this personal invitation to present.
Since he is not a scientist himself, Kvistad’s presentation was from the perspective of a musician and instrument builder. His instruments are found in homes and gardens around the world, and are used by professional musicians and groups, such as NEXUS, an all-percussion quartet. NEXUS performs Japanese Composer Toru Takemitsu’s concerto “From Me Flows What You Call Time”, which features giant sets of Woodstock Chimes®. The piece was premiered by NEXUS and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1990 at Carnegie Hall, under the direction of Seiji Ozawa, and has since been played in major concert halls throughout the world. In 2002, Kvistad became a member of NEXUS when founding member John Wyre retired.
“It is my continued goal that our Woodstock Percussion products can continue to be used as functional pieces, which are educational and provide endless musical entertainment,” says Kvistad.
For more information about Kvistad or Woodstock Percussion, Inc., please visit www.chimes.com.
To learn more about the Acoustical Society of America, please visit www.acousticalsociety.org.
Digital Images Available Upon Request
About Woodstock Percussion, Inc.: Woodstock Percussion, Inc., makers of Woodstock Chimes® and the Woodstock Music Collection®, is a leading manufacturer of precision-tuned windchimes, award-winning musical instruments and soothing home and garden décor. GRAMMY® recipient Garry Kvistad and his wife, Diane, created their first product over 30 years ago in New York’s Hudson Valley, where the company continues to design gifts and accessories using superior materials found around the world. The result is a unique collection of over 200 different products that bring joyful sounds to people of all ages. Popular collections include: Asli Arts®, Precious Stones, Woodstock Gongs, Inspirational Chimes, Temple Bells and, of course, its Classic Chimes. For more information on Woodstock Chimes®, visit www.chimes.com or call (800) 422-4463.
