Jacobs student earns awards in competition in France

Timpanist David Constantine, an IU Jacobs School of Music doctoral student, recently earned the recognition of an international panel and audience with his performance in last month’s International Timpani Competition in Lyon, France.\nConstantine won second place at the Rendez-vous Internationaux de la Timbale, and also took home the “Audience’s Choice” award and best interpretation of an imposed work, according to a news release.\nA talented field of international musicians posed a new challenge to Contantine, an Oregon native who had never competed outside the U.S. The panel included several world-class percussionists, some of whom Constantine has studied for years.\n“(The competition was the) highest achievement I’ve had yet,” Constantine said. “I was honored to play against both my competitors and for the jury.”\nConstantine enrolled at IU in spring 2005 to pursue his doctorate degree in percussion performance. His abilities have been turning heads long before he was invited to play with the Eugene Symphonic Orchestra as a sophomore at the University of Oregon.\nHe has served as timpanist for several professional symphonies and has performed throughout Western Europe. Constantine also plays 20th century avant-garde music with fellow IU student Brian Gardiner in the APEX Percussion Duo. \nIU professor of music John Tafoya is an internationally renowned percussionist who said he enjoys working with advanced performers like Constantine. \n“It’s exciting to work with talented students like David,” Tafoya said. “They are trying to absorb as much information as they can. Their enthusiasm and love of music is contagious.” \nConstantine’s affinity for the timpani has allowed him to progress into a dynamic and outstanding player. \n“The cool thing about timpani is that it allows you to be a drummer and a musician at the same time,” Constantine said. “The timpani is unique in that it is a drum that allows pitch and rhythm to be controlled. It gives you the opportunity to be very expressive.”\nConstantine began preparing for the competition in July, and continued a rigid eight-hour-a-day practice schedule into January. He was given an hour’s worth of music to perform at the competition, a daunting task that required concise goal-setting and consistency.\nEach day started with a 6 a.m. practice session and included hours of listening to his own audio recordings and watching videotapes of his practice sessions.\nTafoya points to Constantine’s work ethic as a model for students seeking to achieve success on the international stage. \n“David is certainly a person who realizes the amount of hard work and dedication that is necessary to compete internationally,” Tafoya said. “The IU percussion department faculty and I are very proud of him.”\nConstantine said his “well-rounded” education in the percussion departments at IU and the University of Oregon set him apart from many of his peers.\n“Studying with such a large amount of people and under a top-notch faculty gives me an edge,” Constantine said. “The Jacobs School is really supportive in competitions and encourages you to approach music with an open mind and play as much as possible.”\nConstantine applauded the Jacobs School for fostering an open attitude toward diverse types of music. He said the percussion department’s steel drum band and hand drumming ensembles ensure that its students aren’t restricted to any particular genre.\nTafoya praised Constantine’s doctoral recital on Jan. 26th as “one of the finest recitals that we have heard.”