Can I just reiterate what I said yesterday in my phone call to you about how pleased I am with my Xylosynth. It is beautifully made and a pleasure to play. Last week I used it to play the bell part in Puccini's Tosca and received continued praise for the instrument from both the Conductor and the Artistic Director. This week, it is being used in a production of West Side Story and again I've had praise from the conductor for the instrument. Hooked up to a Kurzweil PC2R, the Xylosynth is producing some amazing results.- James Pickford
Latest News
Safri Duo
Just fixed a couple of keys for one of the Safri Duos two Mk4 Xylosynths. They bought their first one in 2002! They are next playing in Skanderborg, Denmark in August.
August 15th, 2014
Terry Riley’s “In C”
Magna Band
Sunday June 15th 6.30pm at Embrace Arts Leicester come and see Terry Riley’s “In C”. This is a free performance and there is a bar. The Magna Music Band and tabla teacher Hari Trivedi have teamed up to present this modern classic using instruments from Leicester’s musical heritage and future.
June 4th, 2014
22.5.14 Will Gregory (Goldfrapp)
Powerplant premiere a new commission from Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory, alongside works by Conlon Nancarrow, Max de Wardener, Gabriel Prokofiev and Steve Reich at St George’s, Bristol as part of the Filmic Festival. Operating at the meeting-point between new music and installation art, expect startling 360 degree sound, live sampling and immersive visuals.
May 6th, 2014
Classical:NEXT Vienna 2014
See Joby Burgess with Powerplant at the Classical:NEXT Vienna on 16th May 2014.
May 6th, 2014
Video Phase
Check out Video Phase on Facebook, http://facebook.com/videophase and watch this clip http://www.julienrobert.net/videophase/VideoPhase/Video_Phase.html. These two percussionists are based in Montreal, Canada and bought a 3 Octave Bubinga back in 2011 and are using it to great effect.
March 4th, 2014
Anthony Kerr in Rags to Ritzes
We recently went to see one of our very first players, Anthony Kerr, in an Irving Berlin extravaganza, Rags to Ritzes. The photo shows him at the Symphony Hall Birmingham during the interval. Anthony was a guinea pig for the first Xylosynth marks. He bought a MkIV in 1998, had an upgrade in 2004 and bought a MkVI in 2007. It’s was a fantastic night in Birmingham and we’re very proud that he is using his Xylosynth to such great effect and thank-you Anthony for all your help over the years!
February 25th, 2014
Calliope Musicals
Craig Finkelstein (4 Octave Stained Birch) of Calliope Musicals has just informed me that they won the Waka Winter Classic in Austin so they will be performing at the Wakarusa Festival in June. Sounds crazy enough to get a mention! Check them out on www.calliopemusicals.com and well done.
January 17th, 2014
Björk’s Xylosynth gets the Hairdryer treatment
During the Biophilia tour outdoor performance in Chicago the heavens opened and everyone ran for cover, leaving all the instruments on stage. The Xylosynth, according to Peter van der Velde (production manager) “took in a lot of water……” so he called Wernick for advice. They were shipping all their equipment to Japan the next day and had no time to let the instrument dry out before packing. Wernick’s kindly lent their demo instrument to be flown out to Japan just in case. However it never came out of the box as Lucy Ockenden, following our advice, dried out all the components with hairdryers from the hotel. We knew the Xylosynth would never let them down!
November 21st, 2013
Calliope Musicals
Anyone wanting to check out the Xylosynth and see a great gig at the same time here’s a link to Calliope Musicals ‘Clouds on Fire Tour’ – http://calliopemusicalsshows.tumblr.com/ I know we have a couple of players already going to Pianos, New York on Friday 15th November to check out Craig Finkelstein’s newly purchased 4 Octave Xylosynth. See you there (I wish)!
November 6th, 2013
Wernick Musical Instruments
Half Acre, Station Drive
Leicester LE9 2ET
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)116 238 6091
E: info@wernick.net
