Contemporary composers are often featured in recitals & concerts by Ken Crawford's Pacific Sticks percussion ensemble, which began performing in California schools in 1976.

Pacific Sticks feature 20th & 21st century music written specifically for percussion ensemble, plus other classical and contemporary works adapted for this instrumentation. Composers who have written works expressly for Pacific Sticks include Ray Bachand, Anne Baldwin, Greg Bottini, Sondra Clark, I'lana Cotton, David Dieni, Steve Ettinger, Herb Gellis, Lori Griswold, Edith Hamaker, Y.H. Ja, and Enric Andrew Zappa.
We also join with other ensembles for performances of such works as Bela Bartok's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, William Kraft's Nonet for Brass and Percussion and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.
Our members perform regularly with major northern California orchestras and also draw on their experience in jazz, ethnic and popular music, and music education. We most often work as a quartet for our school programs, but also perform in other combinations for special events.
We have hosted 4 annual Northern California Days of Percussion and have also performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. During 2005, we presented a full year of monthly percussion luncheons at Clarion Music Center in San Francisco.
Ken Crawford, Director of Pacific Sticks, teaches percussion & timpani at Dominican University of California in San Rafael, and at his private studio in Redwood City. From 1998-2001, he served as President of the California Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. He is also timpanist for the Oakland Municipal Band.
We are happy to acknowledge the support we have received from:
American Composers Forum * NACUSAsf * San Francisco Symphony Adventures in Music Series * SEATS (Marin Symphony) * The ED FUND Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County (SPECTRA program) * LOV
Marin Arts Council * Marin Music Chest * Music in the Schools
Mill Valley Chamber Music Society * Music Performance Fund
Meet the Composer * Young Audiences (3 chapters)
Peninsula Community Foundation * Philanthropic Ventures Foundation
Percussion Marketing Council * Pioneer Center of Reno, NV

If you are a composer, we welcome submissions of your works for percussion or mixed ensembles.
If you manage or direct another performing ensemble or project, Pacific Sticks can fill all of your needs for percussion & timpani - players & instruments!
If you are associated with a school, college or university, we have a vast array of options for assemblies, workshops, residencies and teacher in-service programs.
If you have other uses for our services, let's talk about them.

By the Numbers: a 5-day residency supporting the teaching of mathematics.
3 New Special programs:
1) A Century of Ragtime from 2 Continents
2) French Music for Percussion
3) American Music for Percussion
4) From Other Lands