Percussionist Marilyn Rife

- Timpani - Percussion -

Formerly Principal Percussionist/Assistant Principal Timpanist with the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, Marilyn Rife now resides in Philadelphia, PA. While living in Portland, Oregon, Mariliyn performed with the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, and the Portland Symphonic Choir. She was also Orchestra Manager with the Oregon Symphony followed by her position as Director of Orchestra Personnel and Human Resources with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Before moving to Portland, she had performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as an extra musician in subscription concerts, tours, and recordings. She was also an instructor of percussion at Trinity University and St. Mary's University, both in San Antonio, Texas. She has served in an advisory capacity on orchestra panels for The National Endowment for the Arts in 1994 and 1996.

Marilyn is currently Orchestra Personnel Manager for The Philadelphia Orchestra.

"... snappy, impeccable percussionist who really ought to be declared a national landmark."
-- Mike Greenberg, San Antonio Express-News

About Marilyn ...

A native of Chicago, Marilyn spent many summers at the National Music Camp and her last two years of high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy, both in Interlochen, Michigan. She is an Oberlin College graduate.

Performances and Recordings

[Classical Activities/Recordings] | [Popular Performances/Recordings]

Special Works

In November of 1992, Marilyn was featured as soloist with the Winters Chamber Orchestra in the world premiere of "Primitive Echoes" Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra by Alice Gomez. The work, written for Marilyn, was subsequently performed with The San Antonio Symphony.

"...the infectious rhythms bypassed thought to resonate on a primal level, unlocking the sort of mystic reaction that surfaces every time I hear Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring.'"
-- Diane Windeler, San Antonio Light on Primitive Echoes, Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra

Symphonic Recordings:

Marilyn has participated in a number of symphonic recordings, including:

with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as an extra percussionist:
- Shostakovich - "Symphony No. 7 (Leningrad)", Leonard Bernstein conducting (1989) (Deutsche Grammaphon),
- Gershwin, James Levine conducting (1993) (Deutsche Grammaphon),
- Cage, Carter, Babbitt and Schuller, James Levine conducting (1994) (Deutsche Grammaphon),
- Varese, Pierre Boulez conducting (2001) (Deutsche Grammaphon)
with the San Antonio Symphony with Michael Martin Murphey ("Sagebrush Symphony" - Warner Bros. 1995)

Popular Recordings

Marilyn Rife has several popular recordings commercially available:

playing timpani on her solo release, "Seasons of the Drum"
playing marimba, percussion and synthesizer on "Flute Dreams", "Journeys of the Flute", "While the Eagle Sleeps", and "Obsidian Butterfly" with Alice Gomez
playing marimba and percussion on "Christmas Carnaval" and "Incidents of Travel" by Latin folk group Marimba Quest

Published Works

Marilyn has several published percussion works.