Alex Stopa's percussion setup for Wicked at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Playing Wicked at The Smith Center in Las Vegas has been a blast!
Perhaps the biggest challenge with my setup was navigating such a wide variety of unconventional instruments. Kenny Hodges in Salt Lake City sent me photos of a rack system that he built in order to mount the very specific instruments (wand, shell chimes, Tibetan goat bell, trine, etc.) that the show demands. I designed a similar rack out of metal pipe (purchased from a local hardware store) and it allowed me to play these instruments quickly and efficiently without removing them from the rack.
A Lavalier Mic ensured that everything was picked up in the mix. I placed the chimes at the front of my setup just to try something different. It worked well and made some of the quick transitions a little smoother.
The percussion book is extremely well written, creative and challenging. Big thanks to Majestic Percussion and Sabian cymbals.”
Alex is a proud sponsor of Sabian Cymbals, and Majestic Concert Percussion.
Wicked - Regional - Alex Stopa
November 2014
