UGA percussion trio makes history at national chamber music competition

Lineage Percussion, a percussion trio from the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music, made history at last weekend’s 2016 Fischoff Competition in South Bend, Ind., by becoming the first percussion group finalist in the competition’s 43 years.

Lineage, composed of percussion students Trevor Barroero, Lauren Floyd and Wesley Sumpter, received third place in the Senior Wind Division of the Fischoff Competition, which bills itself as the nation’s largest chamber music competition.

“The Fischoff Competition is among the most difficult and elite in the country,” said Dale Monson, director of the School of Music. “We are proud of these magnificent students who have succeeded through their dedication and talent.  This is a tremendous achievement for the percussion studio and the entire school.”

Set on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, Fischoff welcomes hundreds of musicians, coaches, jurors and volunteers each year. Entrants this year hailed from 22 states and nearly 20 countries. Even within this concentration of musical talent, Lineage Percussion stood out.

“Audience members told us that our performance was something they will ‘not soon forget,’” the members of Lineage wrote in an email following the competition. “We left our mark at Notre Dame this year, presenting a program that was not only diverse and unique, but it was a program that honored the new music of the special composers we have been fortunate to work with these past several months.”

Lineage Percussion was formed in 2014 and studied under Timothy K. Adams Jr., chair of the School of Music’s percussion area and the Mildred Goodrum Heyward Professor in Music, and Kimberly Toscano Adams, an instructor in the percussion area. Just one year later, they were selected as quarter-finalists in the 2015 Fischoff Competition.

"Ms. Toscano and I are very proud of Lineage's accomplishment of receiving the bronze medal at the Fischoff Competition Wind Division,” said Timothy K. Adams Jr. “They are a creative and expressive group that we would expect to make a real mark on the music world. 

“Receiving this award not only makes history for the competition itself, it has introduced this magnificent trio to the world."

For more information on Lineage Percussion, visit music.uga.edu/ensembles/lineage-percussion.