International percussionist Michael Skillern to present his award-winning immersive soundscape of percussion, live electronics, and fixed media

Abu Dhabi, February 9, 2023: Manifold – A Festival of Musical Diversity returns to The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) for its fifth edition on February 14 with a world premiere of Michael Skillern: Two Hands, a Shell, and a Keyboard, a solo percussion performance that blurs the line between electronic and acoustic sounds. The festival is presented in partnership with the NYUAD Music Program and features a creative blend of new and experimental music by an eclectic collection of international musicians and accomplished practicing artists from NYUAD’s faculty.

In this year’s show, Two Hands, a Shell, and a Keyboard, Michael Skillern aims to draw the listener’s ear with an eclectic mix of acoustic, percussion and fixed media, and works that fuse percussion with live electronics. He paints an immersive soundscape of varied sonic experiences all made with ‘two hands.’ The ‘shell’ in the title pays homage to Skillern’s vintage 1970s Ludwig snare drum, straight from the US.
NYUAD Instructor of Music and Producer Thaddeus Stegall said: “We are incredibly excited to have award-winning musician Michael Skillern perform for the first time in Abu Dhabi and look forward to his exciting concert. He is the Head of Music at the American Gulf School in Sharjah, an Adjunct Professor at Allen University, and a percussionist with the National Symphony Orchestra. Michael will be presenting many Abu Dhabi premieres including a world premiere of a work for synthesized vibraphone and electronics by Brett Copeland.”

The evening opens with Eugene Novotney’s Minute of News, where Skillern blends hand drumming, brush strokes, timpani mallets, and driving contemporary rhythms to turn the snare drum into a live-action drum machine. Next comes Joey Boudreaux’s Song Over Time, which blends several contemporary drumming techniques with singing and a deep synth lead electronic percussion fixed media track. The two sonic worlds, real and digital, are intertwined into a deeply emotional sonic journey. In total, Skillern will present eleven songs to the UAE audiences for the first time including Electric Screwdriver by Chace Williams, Mechanics to Wit by Michael Standard, and a world premiere of I Dream a Universe by Brett Copeland.

Event:  Manifold - A Festival of Musical Diversity – 2023: Michael Skillern: Two Hands, a Shell, and a Keyboard
Details: Manifold – A Festival of Contemporary Music Performance features a creative blend of new and experimental music presented by an eclectic collection of international musicians and accomplished practicing artists from NYUAD’s faculty. The first show of the line-up for the fifth edition includes a world premiere of Michael Skillern: Two Hands, a Shell, and a Keyboard, a solo percussion that blurs the line between electronic and acoustic sounds.
Date: February 14 from 7:30pm 
Venue: The Blue Hall, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi