Marimba One founder and CEO,
Ron Samuels, and percussionist Steven Schick, team up to create an every-once-in-a-while gathering of young percussionists in Arcata, CA

Congratulations to our inaugural 2024 AG Artist’s: Anna Desfor, McKenna Blenk, William Brown, Jade Hails, Luke Helker, Michael Jones, Ethan Strickland, and Malcolm Taylor

Music and Land:
Telling our Stories.

July 24-27, 2024
Arcata, CA

The goal of The Arcata Gathering is to bring young percussionists together in the beautiful natural landscape of Arcata to create music together, discuss topics of musical and social relevance, and encounter the natural world as a source of pleasure and a site of communal responsibility.

Arcata Gathering 2024

Located in redwood forestland along the Pacific Coast of Northern California, each meeting of the Arcata Gathering will be hosted by Marimba One and will include 8 select percussionists at an advanced student or emerging professional stage to be guided by a small cohort of professional percussionists, led by Steven Schick. The 2024 leadership team brings years of experience to The Gathering including Dr. Ksenija Komljenović, Dr. Eugene Novotney, and Dr. Steven Schick.

Ready to take the next step?

Each gathering will feature a unique theme and commensurately unique guidelines for the application process. Project fellows will be expected to perform solo music that they have prepared, participate in a small number of group projects, including a newly commissioned piece for each gathering. Time will be allocated for conversation, moments of private reflection, and group outings on the trails and beaches of the surrounding land.

The Arcata Gathering will take place on the traditional lands of Wiyot and Yurok peoples, past present and future. We honor the original stewards of the land and pledge to treat traditional tribal lands with the respect and acknowledgement they deserve.

Let’s meet up in real life to share in the beauty of the natural world.

The Arcata Gathering will consider the mutually beneficial relationship between artists and natural world, through conversation, reflection and art-making.