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STANLEY G. LUNETTA |
Positions of Responsibility:
- Principal Timpanist, Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, 1998 to 2008
- Principal Timpanist, Sacramento Opera, 1980 to 2008
- Principal Timpanist, Sacramento Choral Society, 1998 to 2008
- Percussionist/Timpanist, Sacramento Music Circus, 1955 to 2008
- Principal Timpanist, Sacramento Symphony Orchestra, 1963 to 1997
- Instructor of Timpani & Percussion, University of California at Davis, 1978 to 2000
- Instructor of Timpani & Percussion, California State University at Chico, 1978-92
- Music Contractor, Sacramento Music Circus, 1973 to 2008
- Music Contractor, Sacramento Opera Assn, 1996 to 2003
- Music Contractor, Sacramento Choral Society, 1996 to 2003
- Music Contractor, Concord Pavilion,1973 to 1991
Symphonic ExperienceComposition
- Principal Timpanist for the Sacramento Symphony Orchestra 1963 -1997, serving under conductors Fritz Berens, Harry Newstone, Carter Nice, & Geoffrey Simon.
- Extensive knowledge of symphonic literature, from performance & scholastic viewpoints.
- Instruments include a matched set of five Günter Ringer Berliner style Dresden timpani and seven Baroque-style kettles. All are fitted with calfskin heads.
- He is one of the few modern-day timpanists who has mastered the craft of assembling & caring for this high quality combination. In addition, he hand-crafts his timpani mallets from Chinese bamboo and German felt.
- Studied music composition under Larry Austin, John Cage, Jerome Rosen, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Richard Swift and David Tudor.
- Grants and commissions include a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1973 and commissions from:
- 1973 Sacramento Symphony "The Unseen Force", for Large Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble, Electronics, and Narrator
- 1974 Sacramento Ballet Lab "Pulstron", for Dancers, Lasers, and Digital Electronic Synthesizer
- 1978 from the Eleanor McClatchy Performing Arts Center for music for their production of Macbeth.
- The Sacramento Symphony commissioned five works for children's concerts:
- "Hip-po-pot-ta-mus" (1974) for percussion Quartet & Large Orchestra;
- "Cheap Imitation" (1985) for percussion duet;
- "The Eyes of Night" (1988) for chamber orchestra;
- "The Instruments of the Orchestra" (1989) for chamber orchestra;
- "The Elements of Music" (1990) for chamber orchestra.
- The score to his composition "The Word" was for many years on display in the Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York City.
- Currently, he is working with Lyricist Kenneth Horton on an a musical review tentatively titled "Songs o' de Shimp".
Solo AppearancesIn the late 1960's he appeared as soloist on various series of contemporary music in the San Francisco and Northern California area, premiering new works (most notably the west coast premier of Stockhausen's Zyklus).Other Musical Activities
- He performed at many Composers' Forum concerts
- Concert Tour with David Tudor (performing Stockhausen's Kontakte & Zyklus)
- Musica Viva concerts sponsored by the San Francisco Symphony (again performing Stockhausen's Zyklus)
- He was a member of the Mills College Performing Group
- He was twice guest soloist with the Oakland Philharmonic Symphony.
- He performed Milhaud's Concerto for Percussion with the Sacramento Symphony and the Chico Philharmonic.
- Performing Elliott Carter's 8 Pieces for Solo Timpani was one of his favorite activities.
Musical Contractor
- In 1971, he formed AMRA/ARMA, which utilized percussion instruments, electronic sound, lighting, costumes, stage sets and lasers; this group -- which would now be called a Performance Art group -- toured Scotland and England, performing at the International Carnival of Experimental Sound in London in 1972 and performed throughout California.
- In 1968, he was in residence as a Creative Associate at the Center of the Creative and Performing Arts in Buffalo, New York, performing in Buffalo on the Evenings for New Music Series and in New York City at Carnegie Recital Hall.
- 1967-1972 joint editor and publisher of SOURCE: music of the avant garde, an international periodical of new music which received worldwide acclaim.
- In 1963, he, along with colleagues at Davis, formed the New Music Ensemble, a group of composer/performers devoted to the performance of contemporary music; this group concertized throughout the West.
He played drums for Music Circus productions from 1955 thru 2008. He became Music Contractor in 1973, and the Stan Lunetta orchestra was the pit orchestra for the Sacramento Music Circus thru the 2008 season. Now that he has retired, his son Larry (who plays Trumpet) has assumed the contracting duties.While he has retired from active contracting, former clients include California Musical Theatre, Sacramento Philharmonic, Sacramento Opera, Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, and the Elk Grove Strauss Festival. In the past he has provided orchestras for the Concord Pavilion, TupperWare Industrials, and Gov. Gray Davis' first Inaugural Gala.
Sound SculpturesThese "electronic sculptures" include a series of masks and other objects that involve electronically generated sound in addition to visual expression. They have been exhibited at various galleries, including the Crocker Art Museum, and the Chico State University Art Gallery.Private InstructionHe is not currently teaching, but tutored privately from 1955 thru 2000. Many of his students have achieved success in the fields of percussion, composition, and electronic design.Other InterestsHe is one of the founders of the Poverty Ridge Neighborhood Association, has an extensive collection of rare and unusual percussion instruments, over 3,000 Science Fiction books, is very interested in computers, and was SysOp and WebMaster for MacNexus, the Sacramento Macintosh User Group for many years before retiring.Personal:He and his wife, Sharon, married in 1956. They have four children, five grandchildren, one greatgrandchild, and Ella and Watson who are just cats.