Assistant Professor of Percussion
Music History, Contemporary Music
Fine Arts 115
907-474-1873
mspalter@alaska.edu

Born in Canada, Morris's wide range of musical interests have found him performing throughout North America, Asia, and Europe at prominent festivals and concert venues. Some of these have included the Acousmania Festival in Bucharest, the Agora Festival (IRCAM) in Paris, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, the Tura New Music Festival, Australia, the Seoul International Computer Music Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Quincena Festival in Spain, the Music Gallery in Toronto, as well as at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall under famed conductor/composer Pierre Boulez.

Morris has also performed solo recitals and residencies at various universities and conservatories including the University of Birmingham, UK, Stanford University, the University of Western Australia, the Oberlin Conservatory, the University of Maryland, and the University of Central Florida.

As an accomplished Novelty Jazz Xylophonist, Morris founded the Speak-Easy Duo (Colin McAllister, guitar) in 2003 and has appeared at the Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival in Boulder, CO, the Rotterdam Conservatory, the Breda Jazz Festival, NL, the West Coast Ragtime Festival, and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. In 2007, the Speak-Easy duo was invited to participate in the Bohem Jazz and Ragtime Festival, performing in cities throughout Hungary.

In 2000, Mr. Palter co-founded NOISE (San Diego New Music), and was a member of the percussion group redfish bluefish from 1999-2005. Mr. Palter is also actively involved with theatre, having been a composer and performer at both The Old Globe Theatre and the La Jolla Playhouse.

In the summer of 2006, Morris co-found the duo group Metasax/DRUMthings with composer/saxophonist/technology artist Matthew Burtner. To date, the duo has performed in Paris, Seattle, Anchorage, New York City, Fairbanks, San Diego and Toronto.

Morris is the Artistic Director of Ensemble 64.8 (UAF percussion ensemble), the Artistic Director for the University of Alaska Fairbanks New Music Festival, the World Music Artistic Coordinator for the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival (2008), and the Co-Artistic Director for the SoundON Modern Music Festival in San Diego. Morris is dedicated to commissioning both solo and chamber works and has collaborated with artists such as Bob Becker, Pierre Boulez, Roger Reynolds, John Luther Adams, Evelyn Glennie, David Lang, Stewart Saunders Smith, Philip Manoury, Chris Tonkin, and Christopher Adler.

Morris is a member of the Percussive Arts Society New Music/Research Committee and is the PAS Alaska Chapter President.  He is currently endorsed by Black Swamp Percussion, Paiste Cymbals and Gongs, and is a Yamaha Performing Artist. Morris can be heard on Centaur Records, New World Records, Tzadik Records, Mode Records, Innova, and RCA/BMG.

Morris has received degrees from the University of Toronto, the Koninklijk Conservatorium, Den Haag, and the University of California, San Diego where he received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in 2005. Morris was a Lecturer in Music at UCSD during the 2006/07 academic year and is currently an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For more information regarding upcoming engagements, please visit www.morrispalter.com

Morris will be the host for the Focus Day of Percussion at the 2010 Percussive Arts Society International Convention. For more information, please visit www.pas.org.