Dwayne Rice’s Concertino for Marimba features a virtuosic marimba soloist against a backdrop of keyboard percussion instruments. It actually begins with the soloist alone, which does not happen often in this musical genre. While the solo part is advanced, the ensemble parts are reasonable in difficulty.

The soloist will need plenty of double- and triple-lateral chops, but the part is quite accessible by accomplished marimbists. This piece is through-composed, and uses the progressive harmonic structures and motive development that Rice is known for which is pleasing for the players as well as the audience.

At around 9 minutes in length, the ensemble parts of Concertino for Marimba could be played by advanced high school or college students. Dwayne Rice’s Concertino for Marimba is recorded with the University of North Texas Percussion Ensemble on Mark Ford’s CD, “stealing a moment…”.