Trevor Barroero and Fred Morgan, two accomplished percussionists, will showcase their talents with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (TSO) this weekend, playing a remarkable total of 52 percussion instruments.
Their lineup includes bongos, gongs, glockenspiels, vibraphones, chimes, tam tams, finger cymbals, triangles, crotales, xylophones, bass drums, and large 5.0-octave marimbas that reach an impressive length of 8 feet. The duo will create an auditory spectacle using mallets, metal brushes, drumsticks, and playful bouncy balls reminiscent of children’s toys.
“It’s going to be a truly unique experience at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall,” Barroero stated, emphasizing the magnitude of the performance. “This is one of the most challenging compositions Fred and I have ever taken on.”
During the TSO’s concerts featuring “Elgar’s Enigma Variations” on Friday, October 18, and Sunday, October 20, attendees will witness Barroero and Morgan’s dynamic performance of the U.S. premiere of Laura Vega’s percussion concerto, “Ángel de Luz.” The piece, a single-movement work lasting 18 minutes, was composed by Vega between 2014 and 2015 and first premiered in her homeland of the Canary Islands in 2015, but has not been performed since.
In a video shared with the TSO, Vega describes the composition as atonal. However, Barroero, currently in his third season as the TSO’s principal percussionist, notes that the work also features “some gorgeous moments with beautiful melodies.”
“There are also sections that will meet expectations for a percussion concerto,” added the 31-year-old Tucson native. “Expect a lot of energetic, rhythmic passages, as the piece explores a variety of percussion music’s unique phases.”
This weekend’s concert marks ten years since Barroero made his TSO solo debut as the winner of the orchestra’s Young Artist Competition. At that time, he was studying under Kim Toscano, the former principal timpanist of TSO, at the University of Arizona. The following year, he substituted for Toscano during Mahler’s Third Symphony, which will be performed again in January with guest soloist mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke as part of the 2025 Tucson Desert Song Festival.
One of the main challenges Barroero faces in performing Vega’s concerto is adhering to the detailed notations regarding which instrument to use and with what implement—be it mallet, drumstick, or bare hands. He explains that coordinating all these instruments within the limited space in front of the stage requires careful planning.
“Performing as a featured soloist at the front of the stage is a real joy,” Barroero expressed. “It allows the audience to witness our work, which typically goes unnoticed from the back of the stage.”
The concert, the second in the orchestra’s Classics series, will be framed by Sibelius’s “Finlandia” and Elgar’s “Enigma” Variations. Prior to the concerto, attendees will hear Venezuelan composer Inocente Carreño’s tribute to his home island, titled “Margariteña.”
Conducting the performance will be Venezuelan conductor Christian Vásquez, who, like TSO Music Director José Luis Gomez, began his musical journey as a child violinist in Venezuela’s El Sistema youth orchestra.
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