#479 Saturnino Tiamson Jr.- Drummer, Percussionist, Educator, and More!
This week’s guest is Saturnino Tiamson Jr. Saturnino “Satur” Tiamson, Jr., hailed by Time Out Magazine as one of the Top 20 Musicians in Hong Kong in 2008.
Satur has performed as drummer and band leader in HK Disneyland Band, former percussionist of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, former Principal percussionist of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, Metro Manila Community Orchestra and guest musician at the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra. He was the Timpanist of the Southeast Asian Wind Ensemble in Thailand (2003) and toured Asia with the Asian Youth Orchestra (2001 & 2004).
As a session musician he has performed in the (ATEG) Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group productions of Fun Home; Kinky Boots; Side Show; Matilda; Beautiful (The Carole King Musical); Waitress; and The Band’s Visit in Manila. He has also appeared in 3 HK Arts Musical Institute; Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts School of Drama Spring Awakening and Chung Ying Theatre Company production of The Woman in Kenzo The Musical (2021). He plays various styles and currently drumming in Hong Kong rock bands, jazz bands, Gip Percussion Ensemble, City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Metropolitan Pop Orchestra and among others.
In 2016, he won multi- gold medals and awarded Senior Division Overall Champion in the instrument jazz category in the 20th Annual World Champions of Performing Arts in USA. In the same year, he bagged the 2nd prize for the Drum Set Category during the 14th edition of Italy Percussion Competition by Italy Percussive Arts Society. That same year, he was chosen by JCI Philippines as one of (TOYM) The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines for Arts in Music. He also received Presidential Award in 2018 conferred by the President of the Philippines.
In 2021, he won Gold Award for Professional Category at Trinity International Music Competition and for Artist Category at Canadian International Music Competition in 2022. In the same year he received a Certificate of Recognition with Superior rating and featured at the US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps virtual solo and ensemble festival.
He finished a Diploma course at the University of the Philippines College of Music and Bachelor of Music for Percussion Performance at St. Paul University College of Music and Performing Arts in Manila. Currently, he is studying Masters of Music in Percussion Performance at St Paul University. Satur studies rudimental drumming with John Wooton (A.K.A. Dr. Throwdown).
Recognized as an active educator, Satur has given hundreds of clinics in schools, community bands, and festivals. He has appeared at (NAMCYA) National Music Competitions for Young Artists Music Workshops in Manila, Disney Performing Arts Band Workshops (Hong Kong), Initial-P & International Fringe Association Percussion Festival (HK) and TEDx Hong Kong. He also appeared in some virtual Festivals like Percussive Arts Society Philippine Chapter Percussion Festival, Rock School Music Festival, Hong Kong International Drummer Festival and among others..
Tiamson is currently teaching drums, drum circle and conducting the musical band at Harrow International School Hong Kong. He is also teaching at Initial- P Percussion Studio and Star Teacher at Tom Lee Music Academy Hong Kong.
Satur is an active member of Percussive Arts Society. He is a member of the Board of Advisors, member of World Percussion Committee, liaison to International Committee at PAS and President of Percussive Arts Society Philippine Chapter (Outstanding PAS Chapter Awardee 2021).
Satur proudly endorses Zildjian, Prologix, Innovative Percussion, Toca Percussion, Grover Pro Percussion.
R.I.P.
R.I.P. to Emmanuel Agbeli, 1972-2026. One of Ghana's greatest authorities on Ewe music & dance. Director of Dagbe Cultural Center, father of 10.
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to Gerald Myles! Gerald Myles is the founder, director, and premier drummer of MylesOfDrums.com. Born and raised outside of New York City, he is the third generation of professional drummers. By the age of 15, Gerald began winning numerous regional and national awards for his playing abilities. His training includes attending the prestigious Hartt School of Music and University Of Massachusetts as a Jazz Performance major. He was named the United States’ best up and coming “Blues, Pop, and Rock” drummer and “Studio Jazz Orchestra” drummer by the world renowned DownBeat Magazine at age 21.
Gerald spent several years in the Orlando, Florida area drumming for Walt Disney World and Cirque Du Soliel, while playing and recording for countless bands and artists.
From 2005 to 2009 Gerald became a member of The Volunteers; the official touring show band of the United States Army. With the Volunteers he toured the United States playing high profile shows such as NFL games, the closing of Yankee Stadium and President Obama's inauguration, all while regularly recording in their multi-million dollar recording facility.
In addition to operating MylesOfDrums.com, Gerald continues to freelance and teach in the Tri-State area. He has built a Pro Tools and Logic Pro based drum recording studio in his privately owned home in Norwalk, CT. His career has spanned many genres and has prepared him to perform and record virtually any style of music.
Happy Birthday to Julie Davila! Julie Davila is renowned percussionist, performer, music educator and clinician specializing in concert and marching percussion. She was inducted in to the WGI Percussion Hall of Fame in 2014, in recognition of over 20 years contributing to the marching arts activity as a leader, teacher, designer and adjudicator. Julie is a member of the chamber percussion ensemble the CAIXA TRIO, winner of a 2011 “Drummie” award by Drum Magazine.
In addition to her membership in the CAIXA TRIO, she currently serves as the President of the Percussive Arts Society. She is the arranger and instructor for the Middle Tennessee State University Band of Blue Drumline, and additionally an adjunct professor of percussion at MTSU. Prior to her work at MTSU, she was the percussion specialist at several high schools in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of her groups have medaled in all divisions of the WGI activity and the John Overton High School Indoor drum line, under her direction won a National Championship.
Julie is a member of the WGI and DCI nationally recognized adjudication teams. As an active clinician specializing in contemporary and marching percussion, she has performed in Poland, China, Peru, Seoul, South Korea, Paris, France, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil and extensively throughout the United States. Julie is a proud alumni of the University of North Texas. She has published numerous marching and concert percussion ensembles and solos and is the author of the “Modern Multi-Tenor Techniques and Solos”, “Impressions on Wood” and “Inspirations 4 Mallets” and is a co-author of “Aptitude” an innovative solo snare book.
Julie is an endorser and clinician for Pearl/Adams, Innovative Percussion, the Avedis Zildjian Company, Grover Pro Percussion and Evans Drum Heads.
Happy Birthday to John Roesch! John is a professional foley artist that has worked in the film business for over 30 years. He was an actor at Radnor High School and attended the United States International University School for Preforming Arts in San Diego for one year. During that time, he, along with 3 other peers, created a short film called " Indian Magic is What You See". This won the San Diego Film Festival in 1972, Spring-boarding from there, he attended New York University and graduated with a BFA in Film. He then applied and was accepted to the American Film Institute as a Directing Fellow . As fate would have it, a fellow filmmaker asked if he could "help" with the sound on the film she was working on and that was his first taste of foley and he never looked back from there. He is a member of Local 700 , Motion Picture Sound Editors, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He still loves his job to this day. He credits much of his success to those he has met along the way.
Happy Birthday to Mike Zellers! Michael currently serves as the Director of Percussion at Leander High School in Leander, TX. In addition to working with the high school students at Leander, Michael is also the percussion director at Running Brushy Middle School. Zellers received his Master in Music Performance from the University of Delaware and his Bachelor’s Degree from West Chester University.
Michael Zellers is currently the electronics designer for the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle corps form Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to joining Boston’s staff, Michael served on the percussion staff of The Cadets from 2011-2015. He served as a front ensemble technician from 2011-2013 and the Electronics designer from 2013-2015. During his time with The Cadets, the corps won their 10th DCI World Championship in 2011 and The Cadets Percussion section received the Fred Sanford Award for Best Percussion Performance in 2013. In addition to his most recent work with the Cadets, Zellers has worked with the Jersey Surf and Reading Buccaneers.
Happy Birthday to Eduardo Leandro! Eduardo Leandro is a conductor and percussionist who seeks to bridge the gap between both worlds by applying his extensive experience in new music to his interpretation of earlier orchestral repertoire, bringing “new” music’s freshness and excitement to classical and romantic pieces, while also bringing orchestral music’s lyricism and centuries-long appeal into his performances of contemporary music.
Eduardo is the principal guest conductor at the Greater Bridgeport Symphony in Connecticut, leading the orchestra through its 78th season in programs that range from Mozart and Beethoven through Prokofiev, Debussy and Ginastera, all the way up to Schonfield and Bernstein.
He conducts the New York New Music Ensemble, a group with over 40 years of history commissioning and premiering music from over one hundred composers. He regularly performs with the New York University Symphony Orchestra, and has conducted Camerata Aberta in Brazil, Talea and Sequitur Ensembles in the United States, Ensemble Lemanic in France, and the New Music Ensembles in the conservatories of Geneva and Lausanne. He recently served as the music director for the premiere of “The Scarlet Professor”, an opera composed by Eric Sawyer and produced by the Five Colleges Consortium. He has conducted chamber music concerts at Radio France in Paris, in Milan and Torino with MDI and Sentieri Musicali, at Pacific Rim Music Festival in California, and at Festival Archipel in Switzerland.
He is an Associate Professor at Stony Brook University and artistic director of its Contemporary Chamber Players, conducts the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, teaches doctoral seminars related to the understanding and performance of contemporary music, and teaches percussion at the masters and doctoral levels. He also teaches percussion at the Université de Montreal. Eduardo has been a guest lecturer at the Peabody Conservatory and Yale University, regular faculty at Yellow Barn Summer Festival in Vermont, and faculty at several festivals in Brazil and in the U.S.A.. He previously taught at the Haute École de Musique de Genève and directed the percussion program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
As a percussionist, Eduardo Leandro has performed as soloist and with ensembles in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. In the U.S. he performs regularly with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, having appeared with Steve Reich Ensemble and Bang on a Can All Stars among others. He is part of the Percussion Duo Contexto, ensemble in residence at the Centre International de Percussion in Geneva for ten years, having premiered and recorded dozens of works. He continues to perform as a soloist and chamber musician, commissioning new pieces and helping discover what this exciting group of instruments has to offer.
Upcoming projects include conducting a new opera by Flo Menezes that involves large orchestra, chorus, and electronics; continuing to learn Ghanian drumming; a free improv collaboration with saxophonist Travis Laplante and harpist Charles Overton; and recording the music for mallet instruments by James Woods, based on bird songs.
Eduardo Leandro was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, land of carnival, samba schools and rich musical culture. He attended the Sao Paulo State University, the Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands, and Yale University. His conducting mentor and teacher was Gustav Meier, director of Greater Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra for over four decades. His percussion mentors are Robert van Sice and John Boudler.
When not working on music, Eduardo can be seen taking pictures of birds, learning new languages, or making use of his commercial pilot’s license while flying his plane around the East coast.
Gig Alerts
Jeffrey Barudin has posted new jobs on his website that you can apply/audition for.
Jill Scott has a new album and is going on tour. Friend of the show, Dominique Thomas will be joining her on the road!
The Ground Up Music Festival is happening in Miami, FL this weekend.
The Atlanta Jazz Festival is happening in Atlanta, GA May 23rd-25th. Friend of the show, Nate Smith will be one of the featured acts.
St. Paddy’s Day is happening next Tuesday and there are several places to celebrate. You can start with searching Eventbrite for things local to you. Here are some tips in general and for Dublin, Ireland. Here are some recommendations for Cork. Limerick has two options at King John’s Castle and also the Locke Bar. Northern Ireland also takes part with Belfast at the Oh Yeah Music Center.
Educational Spotlight
You can apply for an educational scholarship until April 30th.
There are day of percussion events around the USA for the month of March. Friend of the show, Elena Bonomo will be giving a clinic at the Utah Day of Percussion on Saturday March 14th. Also, the CT Day of Percussion has moved location from Sacred Heart in Fairfield to Naugatuck High School in Naugatuck.
There is a flower you can plant to honor the musician Prince, as well as it giving back to music education.
Iconic Recording
The iconic recording was chosen by Satur and he chose, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey with Steve Smith on drums from the ‘Escape’ album.
Here is a video of Steve demonstrating the groove he plays on that song.
Music News
In Deborah Dugan’s only taped on-camera interview, she tells Kate Snow that the Recording Academy offered her millions of dollars if she would keep her silence. She refused.
Here are five organizations you can follow and support that also are supporting women in the music industry.
You can check out the nominees for this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The case of the DOJ vs. Live Nation/Ticketmaster has been settled federally. At least two states (NY and CA) have said they will go after the monopoly to try and break them up.
You can check out more details about the case below.
And more….
How some feel about the decision…
Saturnino Tiamson Jr. Interview
The song leading into the interview is “Cascara” for drumset composed by Chris Brien.
Satur explains the difference between the names he goes by.
Satur talks about his relatives involved in politics.
He recounts learning music as a kid on piano first. He also learned trumpet and french horn as well as percussion.
Satur attended Philippines College and St. Paul University College of Music in Manila.
Satur studied with Elizalde Tolentino and Leo Roque.
He’s currently getting his masters and studied online with friends of the show Dr. John Wooton and Jeff Queen.
Damon mentions Blast.
Satur talks about playing in the Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra and also at Hong Kong Disney.
He talks about his path through different symphonic groups.
He moved to Hong Kong for more opportunities.
He talks about playing with Lea Salonga and traveling back and forth from Hong Kong to the Philippines.
He goes through all the groups he’s currently playing with and the three schools he plays with aside from the private students.
This is his last year as chapter president for the Philippines chapter of the Percussive Arts Society.
He talks about the day of percussion they had with friends of the show Julie Davila and Kana Omori involved.
Satur competed in the Italy Percussion Competition. Now he’s a judge for it.
Satur talks about doing the first virtual day of perussion.
Damon and Satur got to play at PASIC 50 with (friend of the show) Matthew Lau for Kana Omori’s session.
Shout-out to friends of the show Ed Choi and Jon Fox
Satur picks the iconic reording and shout out to his idol, Steve Smith.
Satur uses Grover Pro Percussion, Zildjian Cymbals, Innovative Percussion Implements, ProLogix Pads, Toca Percussion, and he enjoys Ludwig Drums and the Miller Machine.
Shout-out to all of Satur’s teachers.
Shout-out to Percussive Notes Magazine.
You can follow Satur on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
The song leading out of the interview is called “HOY!” for trombone and 1 or 2 percussion
