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News and Events
 CrossTalk has been fortunate to have many wonderful musical experiences:

  • Significant Performances
  • Musical Collaborations
  • Musical Commissions
  • Composition Competitions
  • Grant Awards

     

    2015-2016 O'Brien Endowment Award
     CrossTalk is the newest recepient of the James P. and Shirley J. O'Brien Endowment Award. The award, in the amount of $6,500 will be used to tour the Southwestern United States for performances at high schools, universities, and state Days of Percussion. We are very excited about sharing CrossTalk's music with a large number of people.
     

    Weinberg Wins Award
     CrossTalk Founder and Director, Dr. Norman Weinberg, was named the 2014-2015 winner of the Charles and Irene Putnam Excellence in Teaching Award. The Charles and Irene Putnam award is considered the College of Fine Art’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in teaching, as demonstrated by outstanding achievement in teaching.
     

    CrossTalk Performs at the 2014 Percussive Arts Society International Convention
    CrossTalk was selected for a featured performance at Tech Day 2.0 at the PASIC 2014 Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The group played a non-stop set with musical transitions between each of the individual compositions.
     

    CrossTalk Releases Four New Videos
     In December 2014, CrossTalk went onto the Crowder Hall Stage and recorded four compositions that were featured in the PASIC 2014: Tech Day 2.0 performance. These pieces were recorded live without any overdubs. Using Live 9, we simply hit the record button and tracked all the instruments and voice at once into the software. You can watch and listen to these performances by going to the "Video" menu on this site.
     

    Weinberg Named to Hall of Fame
     In 2014, CrossTalk Founder and Director, Dr. Norman Weinberg, was inducted as a member of the Kansas Musician's Hall of Fame. Sanctuary, A group that he toured with for two years in the early 1970s, was recognized for their outstanding contributions to music in the state of Kansas.
     

    CrossTalk Awarded 5k for Composition Competition 
    In 2013, CrossTalk was awarded $5,000 from the James P. and Shriley J. O'Brien Foundation to hold a Composition Competiton for a work featuring both CrossTalk and UASteel, the premiere steel band at UA. Prizes were: First $2,500; Second $1,000; Third $500. The winning composition was De/Con Struction by Colin Malloy.
     

    SPEED!
    In 2010, CrossTalk was part of a collaborative project called SPEED that was awarded $30,000 from the College of Arts and Sciences. The collaboration included the creative work of over 10 faculty and 50 students and combineed the forces of CrossTalk with the Stage Technology Program, the School of Electrical Computing and Engineering, and the School of Dance. Two performances of SPEED took place at the Marroney Theature on May 8, 2010.

    The funds from this grant allowed CrossTalk to reach deeply into the most advanced MIDI percussion controllers, sound modules, and software avaialble. In collaboration with the ECE, and the Stage Technology Program, CrossTalk was also be able to design, develop, and produde some mind-bending new performance materials .
     

    CrossTalk Wins Starbucks Grant
    In 2009, Crosstalk was the recipient of a grant from Starbucks called "Giving Voice". CrosTalk performed for students of the Indian Oasis Intermediate School. For many of these students, this was their first exposure to a live musical concert. We sort of blew their minds!
     

    CrossTalk's First Composition Contest
    CrossTalk's 2007 concert included a significant highlight: CrossTalk and the World Music Gang performed the World Premiere of ECHO by Neil Dunn. Echo was the first place winner of the James P. and Shirley J. O’Brien Endowment Composition Competition. This competition was designed to create new works blending the contemporary technologies of CrossTalk with the instrumentation and aesthetic of the World Music Gang. Mr. Dunn is from Manhattan, Kansas and won $2,500.00 for his composition. The World Music Gang was under the direction of Dr. Michael Vercelli.
     

    CrossTalk's Previous Performances
  • Three Percussive Artst Society Conventions
  • Toronto 2000: Musical Instersections Conference
  • Arizona Day of Percussion
  • Nevada Day of Percussion
  • California Day of Percussion
     

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