Marimba One instruments have shaped my ideal of what playing a marimba should feel and sound like! I am most comfortable expressing myself on a Marimba One because I trust the instrument to always project my musical ideas to my audience.
Oliver Xu
Percussionist Oliver Xu has been internationally recognized as a solo performer advocating for contemporary music. Based in New York City, he was recently awarded a Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant by The Juilliard School after graduating with his master’s degree. In the last year, he has won the Percussive Arts Society Solo Artist Competition and the Great Plains International Marimba Competition. He has also received Third Prize at the Sixth IPEA International Percussion Competition and the Youth Jury Prize at the TROMP International Percussion Competition.
Oliver was recently featured in concerto performances with the GRAMMY-winning Albany Symphony Orchestra. Other performances from last season include a showcase concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, where he premiered a new work by Ayanna Woods, and his graduation recital at Juilliard, where he gave the New York premiere of Judd Greenstein’s percussion concerto. He has also been featured in performances at Alice Tully Hall on works by Steve Reich and Olivier Messiaen with the Juilliard Orchestra and AXIOM, respectively. In May 2022, he joined the Da Capo Chamber Players for a concert celebrating their 50th Anniversary.