The Heartland Marimba Quartet (HMQ) is aware of the shockingly low number of works available for marimba quartet (and percussion ensemble) by female composers. They have begun to gather all the repertoire that was composed by women for this kind of ensemble. Only 12 marimba quartets can be found, and many of those are not easily accessible. HMQ has performed five of these works, plans to perform others, and has republished the oldest one, Atmospheres (1989) by Beth Mehocic. Two works of note that HMQ has championed include, Sabrina Pena Young’s Agape, and Eleanor Brimblecombe’s Phycodurus Eques. Agape was discovered through a grant Heartland Marimba ([HM] the 501(c)(3) organization of HMQ) received from the New York Women Composers, Inc. in 2017 to perform five works by their roster composers. Brimblecombe’s piece was living as a MIDI mock-up on YouTube.

For 2020, HMQ will commission four accomplished and renown female composers to write for the ensemble (Jenni Brandon, Kirsten Broberg, Dorothy Hindman, and Tawnie Olson). Some of these works will be intended for dance collaboration with the Chicago modern dance company, The Seldoms (Carrie Hanson, choreographer), and Zenon Dance (Minneapolis, MN). Additionally, some of these works will involve electronic media. A call-for-applicants will also be held in 2020 to commission four early-career, young female composers to write pieces intended for upper level high school/undergraduate level marimba quartets.

HMQ tours with more than 40 events a season. Premieres of the above new works will occur during the 2020-2021 season, particularly during tours scheduled for November 1-15, 2020 and March 23-April 4, 2021. Tour events include concerts at Kent State University and the Bop Stop in Cleveland (OH); performances in Indianapolis (IN) and Kutztown (PA); and residencies at Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh (PA), and with the Spitting Image Collective in Minneapolis (MN). Following the past practice of HMQ, other concerts with a variety of presenters will be booked during tours (i.e. concert halls, universities, high schools, museums, libraries, and/or churches), and a couple of concerts within the season will be produced by HM. All works will be published by the Heartland Marimba organization and made easily available to the percussion community worldwide.