About Galaxy Plays Udow

Galaxy, a percussion collective, was formed when Keiko Abe asked Michael Udow to create a professional group of former students to tour with them in Japan. As a result, Keiko Abe & Galaxy performed concerts of Keiko’s Music and works by leading Japanese composers. Keiko performed an evening concert with Galaxy at PASIC 2011 at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. Two months prior, 9/11 occurred. Not knowing what the state of the world would be, Keiko still wanted to come to Nashville to share her music and lift the spirits of those in the 2400 capacity audience. At the suggestion of Keiko, Kang-ku Lee invited Galaxy to tour South Korea with his Akademie Percussion Ensemble, APE. Several years later, the ensemble was invited back to South Korea for a televised festival performance with APE and the Swiss percussion group, QuaDrums. Udow’s former students perform in symphony orchestras, as soloists, in jazz ensembles, and in diverse chamber groups, including Silk Road, Harry Partch Ensemble, Cirque de Soleil, Ensemble Duniya, etc. The artists and educators in Galaxy 2022 have come together to honor Michael’s legacy as a performer, educator, composer, and inventor. They include soloists Pius Cheung (University of Oregon), Eriko Daimo (New York University and the Julliard School pre-college division), and Anthony Di Sanza (University of Wisconsin ‚Äì Madison, Ensemble Duniya). While consummate solo artists themselves, these members elected to participate in sharing Michael’s music at PASIC 2022. Shoko Araya (Percussion Lecturer at Kunitachi College of Music and Tokyo Kasei University), Roger Braun (Ohio University, Los Viejos, Biakuye), Renee Keller (ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Duoma), Joseph Gramley (Indiana University, Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble, Organized Rhythm, The Knights), Payton MacDonald (William Patterson University), Takako Nakama (Kagoshima University, Four Mallets Percussion Quartet), Dan Piccolo (Bowling Green University, X4 Percussion Quartet, Ensemble Duniya), Patrick Roulet (Department Chair, Western Washington University, Arranger).