Heartland Marimba
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Heartland Marimba began in 2014 through the vision and leadership of solo artist Matthew Coley.
HEARTLAND MARIMBA
Artists | Tours | Productions | Collaborations | Publications | Festivals
Elevating and increasing the accessibility of the classical marimba art form. Matthew (founding executive/co-artistic director) works closely with Jenni Brandon (co-artistic director), Joe Millea (operations director), Ujjal Bhattacharyya (productions director), and other HMArtists to support and celebrate the classical marimba art form, benefiting performers, students, communities, and composers annually. Through a multifaceted business plan, HM averages 50 events a season. The Heartland Marimba Quartet and HMEnsemble showcase the talents of accomplished professional artists, emerging artists, and apprentices with a vibrant schedule of national and regional tours year-round. The organization maintains regular virtual programming with a Masterworks Series, Composer Laboratory and Festival, Composer Conversation Series, and other video releases. HMPublications has released more than 70 scores that are available for digital download. Through the New Quartets Project Consortium, grant funding (New Music USA), and donor support HM is working to release eight new marimba quartets by female composers of diverse backgrounds. The organization strives to bring the unique music of the marimba to a wider audience and to build more opportunities for the art form.
Join us for the "SLEEP FOR OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE" session at PASIC this year; and we have a bonus session directly following the main session where you can ask questions and participate in a more informal discussion. Come to both, or come to one. We're very excited about helping the percussive arts field with the prevalent issue of not enough sleep.
Percussionists, we also need your help. Please fill out this survey so we can learn more about sleep issues in our field and provide you with the best presentation possible: https://forms.gle/3qRuEy7KnJQcYxs6A
Sleep for Optimal Performance: Balance, Anxiety, Stress, Rest, and Solutions by Dr. Melissa Milanak and Dr. Matthew Coley
SESSION DAY: Thursday, November 12, 2026
SESSION TIME: 2:00 PM
ASSIGNED ROOM: Room 201 (Indiana Convention Center)
Q&A/OVERFLOW DISCUSSION: 3:00-3:50 PM
ASSIGNED ROOM: Room 209
"As busy professionals, most of us have less-than-ideal sleep habits. Performance and tour schedules, teaching demands, gathering together a portfolio career to meet financial needs, and the long hours needed to plan and practice so we can participate in our dream work. This can be a detrimental spiral, especially if we're dealing with injury and fatigue in our hands, wrists, and arms. Sleep, rest, and exercise are the solutions to healing from injury, anxiety, stress overload/burnout, but oftentimes we use other coping vices that actually exacerbate the issues in the long term and just keep pushing through, trying not to be perceived as weak or uncommitted..."
Today at Carolina Theatre of Durham!
Castles in the Clouds by Matthew Coley
Heartland Marimba Publications
Salyers Percussion
We were in the studio this weekend getting ready for the Mid-Atlantic Tour!
And we're bringing back an HM oldie & favorite, Steven Simpson's Fluidity! đ€đ©”
Next stop is Chapel Hill, NC.
Tour plan:
October 1, 12:30 PM â Master Class for the Percussion Studio at UNC-Chapel Hill
October 2 â Outreach for Carolina Theatre of Durham
October 3, 11:00 AM â Concert at the Carolina Theatre of Durham
October 4, 5:00 PM â St. Mark's Lutheran Church Concert, Roanoke, VA ($25 suggested donation)
October 6, 7:00 PM â Concert at Fayetteville Technical Community College
October 7 â UNC-Pembroke
âą 2:00 PM, Master Class
âą 7:30 PM, Concert
October 8, 7:30 PM â Concert at Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC
October 9, 1:00 PM â Master Class, Coastal Carolina University
Matthew Coley
Salyers Percussion
Heartland Marimba Publications Marimba One Olivia Sletteland Sophia Lo
New video drop!! Weâve been hard at work this season with our recordings! First of many to come - Sculpture 3 by RĂŒdiger Pawassar! Check it out on YouTube NOW!
09/24/2026
Please help Dr. Matthew Coley and Dr. Melissa Milanak with research for their "Sleep for Optimal Performance: Balance, Anxiety, Stress, Rest, and Solutions" session at PASIC. Take the survey at this link so they can learn about sleep issues within the percussive arts fields. We also hope that you will consider donating to our Season 12 fundraising campaign. Your support means so much to us, and we work tirelessly to show you the power of your donation! Thank you for your contribution. - https://mailchi.mp/119c51cf6a9e/whats-resonating-no4-2026
This week! Catch some HM representation at the Midwest Arts Expo! Stop by our booth, say hi, and learn about all things Heartland Marimba. We canât wait to see you all there!
09/17/2026
We have all the 2026 HM International Festival information in one convenient for you! Also, we'll be announcing our illustrious sponsors for HMIF soon. You can become a sponsor too. If you'd like to support this amazing initiative celebrating our classical marimba history, follow the links at the bottom of this page:
09/17/2026
Announcement! As we gear up for some of our upcoming tours, weâve been fortunate enough to add *two* new apprentice artists to our roster! Swipe to get to know them - we canât wait to get on tour with these new faces!
Olivia Sletteland is a versatile freelance percussionist, arts administrator, and music educator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Recent and upcoming performances include Mississippi Valley Orchestra, Heartland Marimba, and Opera Reading Project. Additionally, Olivia is a founding member of LEFT/RIGHT Percussion, a Minneapolis-based percussion duo performing the music of living/recent composers.
In addition to performing, Olivia is the operations manager for the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra and the marketing director for the Saint Johnâs Boysâ Choir. As an educator, Olivia is the adjunct percussion instructor at Winona State University, the drumline instructor for UW-La Crosseâs Screaming Eagles Marching Band, and a front ensemble instructor for Eastview High School Marching Band and River City Rhythm Indoor Drumline.
Olivia received her Masterâs of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Missouri-Columbia with Dr. Megan Arns and Dr. Julia Gaines, where she was a graduate assistant for the Mizzou New Music Initiative and percussion studio and a performing member of the Mizzou New Music Ensemble. She also holds a Bachelorâs in Percussion Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where she studied with Dr. Jeffery Crowell. Outside of her formal studies, Olivia has studied at the Neif Norf summer new music festival and worked with master musicians including Musekiwa Chingodza, Othnell Moyo, and FodĂ© Bangoura.
Olivia is a proud endorser of Artifact Percussion.
In her free time, Olivia loves to hike and explore the outdoors with her partner and puppy.
Cy Miessler(b. 1992) is a percussionist, composer, educator, and conductor based in Lawton, Oklahoma. An avid performer of marimba repertoire, he has earned numerous competition honors, including first prize at the Great Plains International Marimba Duo Competition with his wife, Cindy
Miessler, second prize at the 2019 International Percussion Institute Marim
Today we're remembering the victims of the 9\11 attacks, introducing you to chime tuner & HMIF Orchestra Producer Brett Fugate (owner, Fugate Percussion & Marimbas), and showcasing the Flight 93 Tower of Voices Chime Tower Memorial.
đ Please take a moment to remember the victims today. đ
Thank you, Brett, for your support of and the 2026 Orchestra!
Visit the links in our bio or here to learn more about Fugate Marimbas and Brett's Chime Tower in PA.
www.FugateDrums.com
https://youtu.be/kvoHt47qhqk
Words about the Tower of Voices:
National Memorial
Living memorial/monument
Flight 93
Largest Set of Tuned Wind Chimes in the World
Sonic Monument/Memorial
The Ongoing Voices of the Passengers and Crew of Flight 93, the Heroes
of Flight 93
Large-Scale Wind Chimes
National Park Service
Conducting the Wind
Wind-Actuated Percussion Instrument
Just Intonation
Music: One Word by Jenni Brandon
Fugate Drums Lancaster Marimba Ensemble Matthew Coley Jenni Brandon
09/09/2026
We're moving towards our 2026 goal, but we still need your help. Your support will go towards some amazing features brought to you by the world's only touring classical marimba company.
We're planning to release TWO groundbreaking albums in the next 2 years. The first one will be a collection of HM & percussion world standards, accompanied by a documentary film (more on that later). Not only will your contribution ensure this becomes a reality, but you're also supporting 10 artists, many composers, and education and outreach initiatives.
Thank you for your donation! â€ïžđ¶đ¶
Touring Season 12 â âHitting All 12 Notes, coast-to-coast!â Support Heartland Marimba as they record two new albums & tour in their 12th season. Your gift goes DIRECTLY to HM artists!
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
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Website
Address
PO Box 2011
Waterloo, IA
50704
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