Percussion

Dr. Andrea Venet is a percussion artist, soloist, educator, and composer specializing in contemporary and classical genres. She is currently Assistant Professor of Percussion and head of the department at the University of North Florida, where she directs the UNF percussion ensemble, teaches applied lessons, pedagogy, methods and percussion literature. As a passionate educator, Dr. Venet’s research involves pedagogy, with focus on college percussion education at various levels, classical improvisation and historically informed Baroque performance practice techniques for Bach on marimba. Her creative activity includes performance, composition, and commissioning new works. 

As an international soloist, chamber musician, and clinician, Andrea maintains an active performance schedule, having held appointments in Europe, Japan, Canada, and Trinidad. Andrea has been a featured soloist at the Celebrate Marimba Festival, Steve Weiss Mallet Festival, Prairie Music Residency (SK, Canada), with the Kutztown University Symphony, in addition to being a featured performer with SNL percussionist Valerie Naranjo, Ivan Trevino, the Lawson Ensemble, Project Trio, and the Eastman Percussion Ensemble. Early in her career, Andrea was a member of the award winning Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps from 2002-2004 and performed with Grammy winning alternative band TOOL with the Gilbert Drumline in 2001. Most recently, she was invited to present at the 2020 World Symposium of Choral Music in Auckland, NZ with Dr. Cara Tasher. 

Dr. Venet’s percussion duo, Escape Ten, maintains a steady performance schedule touring as guest artists and clinicians nationally and internationally. Through collaboration with composer Eric Guinivan, they are the recipients of a marimba duo commission awarded from the prestigious Fromm Foundation entitled Illuminations (2018). In 2016 they performed a Showcase Concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, giving 3 world premieres by Aurél Hollo, Joe Locke, and Michael Burritt. Consistently featured as guest artists at music festivals, concert series, conferences, and at universities nationally and internationally, select appearances include performances in Spain at the Ágora Actual Percussion and WASBE festivals, the Academy of the Performing Arts (UTT) in Trinidad, at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, and at the Leigh Howard Stevens Marimba Seminar. They have collaborated with composers Michael Burritt, Aurél Hollo, Emmanuel Séjourné, Ivan Trevino, Joe Locke, Steve Danyew, Steve Ridley​,​ Drew Worden​, and Kelly Rossum. ​Escape Ten has their own signature mallets (2020) and publication series of new percussion duos through Malletech/Keyboard Percussion Publications (KPP). You can hear Escape Ten on their first album Colours of a Groove. Please visit www.EscapeTen.com. 

Andrea’s compositions and arrangements can be found self-published via her website, through Keyboard Percussion Publications (KPP), Tapspace, and Alfonse-Production, in addition to articles published with Percussive Notes and Rhythm!Scene magazines. Andrea holds a DMA in Performance and Literature with a minor in Pedagogy, and the prestigious Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. She received her Masters and Bachelors degrees from Rutgers and Arizona State University, respectively. Andrea is endorsed by Malletech, Remo, DREAM Cymbals, Black Swamp Percussion, and currently serves as the Percussive Arts Society Florida Chapter President. Find out more at www.AndreaVenet.com.

Contact: (904) 620-3831 - andrea.venet@unf.edu - Andrea Venet's Website 

Kenneth Every is from Philadelphia and obtained his bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Gerald Carlyss and Michael Bookspan. He also holds a master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and was a student of Paul Yancich.

Every recently celebrated his 25th season as principal timpanist of the Jacksonville Symphony. He is a regular timpanist at the Iris Chamber Orchestra and Grand Teton Music Festival, where he has performed for over twenty years. 

His solo appearances include a performance of Bartók’s Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and OrchestraI, with Emmanuel Ax, Yoko Nozaki and the Iris Chamber Orchestra. He was featured in the Jacksonville premiere of Russell Peck’s Harmonic Rhythm: Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra. He was the principal timpanist of l’Orchestre Nazionale Sinfonica della RAI in Italy, and of the New World Symphony, under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. 

Kevin Garry currently performs in the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Prior to joining the JSO, Garry was a member of the New World Symphony (Miami Beach) where he performed regularly under the leadership of Michael Tilson Thomas. While living in Michigan, Garry was Principal Percussionist with the Flint Symphony Orchestra (1988-1991) and a member of the Saginaw Symphony and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. In 1992, Garry was elected by his colleagues to be the recipient of the "New World Symphony's Community Board Award for Leadership and Artistic Excellence."

Garry started drumming in the fourth grade as a member of the Colonial Musketeers Fife and Drum Corps while growing up in Hackettstown, New Jersey. He remained with the group for eight years marching in parades festivals and competitions. Garry won the "New Jersey State Rudimental Snare Drum Championship" in 1979 and 1981. His primary rudimental snare drum instructors were famed DCI instructor Bobby Thompson and Peter Hubert. Throughout middle school and high school, Garry studied snare drum and drum set with Vincent "Muzzy" Mizzoni, and studied timpani and keyboard percussion with Alfred Jorgensen, timpanist with the New Jersey State Opera. During his college years, Garry performed with Disney's All-American College Band (1986), the American Waterways Wind Orchestra (1987), the National Repertory Orchestra (1988), Summit Brass (1988), and the Pacific Music Festival (1991). He graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in Biology and a B.M. in Percussion Performance. While at Oberlin, Kevin studied with Michael Rosen. He received his Masters Degree from the University of Michigan where he studied with Dr. Michael Udow and Salvatore Rabbio.

Garry taught in the percussion department at Stetson University from 2005-2010, and currently teaches at Florida State College at Jacksonville, serves as an adjunct instructor at the University of North Florida and maintains a large private studio in the Jacksonville area.

Mabrey's duties at UNF included applied percussion lessons, percussion techniques, the "Live Music in Jacksonville" lecture class, and conducting the UNF Percussion Ensemble, which is extremely active both on and off campus. The group's performances include area colleges, at guest artists with the JSO, and at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

Each year Mabrey presented as entertaining and eclectic recital at UNF titled, "An Evening of 20th Century Music." This innovative programs included works for solo marimba, multiple percussion, and chamber ensembles, as well as original works with fellow artist, Robert Arleigh White. In 1997, Professor Mabrey established the "Evening of 20th Century Music Scholarship Program." After 25 years, the event had its last performance in 2008.

In 2001, Professor Mabrey was named "Distinguished Professor" at UNF. She retired in April 2016. 

Contact: Dr. Mabrey's Website

Michael Taylor is a percussionist and composer residing in Jacksonville, Florida. Michael has performed with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, the Duluth Festival Opera, the Brunswick Coastal Symphony of Georgia, and at Carnegie Hall with the UNF Wind Symphony. In 2012, Michael won first place in the Quey Percussion Duo Composition Contest with his work “Rhapsody for Vibraphone and Marimba,” which is distributed internationally through HoneyRock Publications. In 2013, Michael performed in Lyon, France with the UMD graduate percussion ensemble. Michael served as faculty for the 2015 UMD International Percussion Summer Camp and the 2016 UNF Summer Camp. Michael received his B.M. in Music Performance from the University of North Florida, and M.M. at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.