A chat with percussionist John Kinzie on Respighi's Pines of Rome
- cbeeson69
- Sep 18
- 2 min read
Interview with percussionist john kinzie
I chatted with John about Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome, and got some pretty juicy and fun insider stories too!
about john
John Kinzie joined the Colorado Symphony as Principal Percussionist in 1985. He was born in Pittsburgh and began his musical studies on the piano at the age of five. When band was introduced in the schools, he quickly switched to the drums. He received scholarships to the University of Toledo and the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Robert Bell, Richard Weiner and Paul Yancich.
John has appeared with Strings in the Mountains, The National Repertory Orchestra, and the Grand Teton music festivals, and has been a featured soloist with the Toledo Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, Yale School of Music, Grand Teton Music Festival, and the Colorado Symphony on numerous occasions. In 1996, he became the head of the percussion division of the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, where he taught percussion and timpani performance as well as percussion ensemble, master classes, and percussion pedagogy and repertoire until his recent well deserved retirement.
In his spare time, he enjoys golf, skiing, and hanging out with his wife, Colorado Symphony violinist Karen Kinzie, and their four sons, Ryan, Karl, Grant, and Reid.
About Ottorino respighi, and
Pines of rome
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) was an Italian violinist, educator, musicologist, and a star Italian composer of the early 1900s. He composed works for large and small ensembles including for opera and ballet, and made transcriptions of Italian compositions from the Renaissance through the Classical eras. By far his most well known works are the trio of pieces that include Pines of Rome.
Respighi calls for a large orchestra including a very large and colorful percussion section. The use of keyboards and harps are substantial, but the richness of expression from the rest of the percussion section adds an undeniable layer of magic to the piece.
Explore more about Respighi and his music using the tags below! 🎉🎶🤓
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