Steve Chavez is a historian, screenwriter, teacher, arranger, composer, performer, and collector of 37 marimbas from around the world. Steve graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Music Education degree. As a percussionist and Principal Tympanist, Steve was a member of the NM Symphony Orchestra, Albuquerque Chamber Orchestra, and a fifteen year member of Santa Fe Pro Musica. As a composer, Steve has composed/arranged nine concerti for Marimba and Orchestra, and two for Wind Ensemble, as well as numerous published works for marimba ensembles featured in his Marimba Gig Book, Latin-Jazz ensembles, pop, jazz, country, and steel-drum bands. Steve now tours universities with his Marimbas of the World as a soloist with the University Percussion Ensemble. Lessons on all marimbas, lectures, Days of Percussion, are also included. Steve is currently booking a Mid-West/East Coast tour for the spring of 2009. His "Marimbas of the World," with Truman State and the University of New Mexico Percussion Ensembles, received two standing ovations at the 2002 Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Steve and John Bartlit were also well received with their Marimbas of the Americas in Berlin, Germany. A summer 2009 European tour is in the works. They also tour public schools around the Southwest.As a screenwriter, Steve has written six copyrighted full-length movies: Cherokee Rose; Zhia the Star Princess; One More Crime; The Seeds Were Planted; Sky City, and the animated Jack the Rabbit ; one ten minute short film; two short screenplays with two more in the works to complete a set to be released on DVD; one unfinished screenplay, ICROP, the International Center for the Research of Primates; and one promising idea being studied for full-length screenplay.
THE GREATEST MARIMBA COLLECTION IN THE WORLD Steve's mallet instruments include: thirteen marimbas from Chiapas ranging from 6 1/3 (F-A) to 4 1/2 octave; one marimba sencilla and three gourd marimbas from Chichicastenango, Guatemala; six African marimbas from Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Guinea; three marimbas using bamboo resonators and palm-tree bars from Esmeraldas, Ecuador; two bamboo trun'g and one stone marimba/dan da from Vietnam; one set of nine bamboo Jegad bom bom from Bali; two trough marimbas from Burma and Thailand; two Deagan xylophones, one 1889 Deagan bells, and one 1914 nabimba (Deagan's Guatemalan version featuring buzzing membrane and metal tubes); and one Musser vibraphone.Steve is also available to perform with your Professional or University Orchestra or Wind Ensemble. Five of your marimba players are needed to play on two Mexican Marimbas. Steve has performed three times with the Santa Fe Pro Musica, the Brazos Valley Symphony, the University of Oklahoma Wind Ensemble, and one of America's only Professional Wind Ensembles, the Prairie Wind Ensemble from Peoria, Illinois. Arranged Mexican favorites are: Las Chiapanecas; La Zandunga; Guadalajara; Jesusita en Chihuahua; La Llorona; and an original composition, Las Tripas. A FREE CD IS AVAILABLE TO ORCHESTRA ADMINISTRATORS ONLY. THIS IS UNIQUE AND PERFECT FOR YOUR POPS CONCERTS.The New Mexican Marimba Band (actually a duet) is available for your next event! They are an all-occasion, low-volume ensemble, yet exciting and unique, and perfect for background music or a main feature. The Band performs on an authentic Mexican buzzzzzz Marimba from Chiapas made by Alfredo Mancilla using their family diamond inlay design on the frame. The Band has performed for local, state, national, and international conventions including dignitaries from around the world. The band performs many favorites and also original works in every style.
TURQUOISE MARIMBA This is a Chiapan Marimba covered with a Navajo Sandpainting made by Joe, Patsy, and Norman Begay from Gallup, New Mexico. It has real turquoise sand ground in several courses. Each color, white, yellow, purple, pink, and turquoise is layered seven times. The sand is glued on, like glitter, with a half water/half glue mixture. The painting is the largest Navajo sandpainting ever made. It is 13 1/2 feet in length and 8 inches high and is very heavy. Also featured are custom made Silver corners with stamped designs made by John Chavez, also a Navajo Indian. There is also silver conchos on the back frame and many silver and large turquoise stones throughout. It is obviously a one-of-a-kind Marimba.Contact Steve today including for Marimba duet!
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