Ironwood Ridge, UA alum Barroero coming home for Tucson concert

The last time percussionist Trevor Barroero performed in Tucson was on the eve of graduating from the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music.

He turned his honors concert in 2017 into a benefit for the Alzheimers Association, raising $10,000 in the memory of his grandmother who died of the disease several years earlier while Barropero was still in high school.

This weekend he ends the dry spell when he and his Lineage Percussion trio — formed when he and Lauren Floyd and Wesley Sumpter were students at the University of Georgia  — perform a recital with the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music on Sunday, Feb. 23.

"It is an absolute joy to be back in my hometown of Tucson, especially during Rodeo week," Barroero said in an email interview. "It's already been a busy week."

Barroero arrived in Tucson last weekend and has already made several appearances including a solo marimba recital and nine outreach events at five Tucson elementary schools with Lineage Percussion.

In our email interview, we caught up with Barroero, who is working on his doctoral degree in Georgia with former Tucson Symphony Orchestra timpanist Kimberly Toscana Adams and her husband Timothy, about his career and what he misses most about Tucson.

His hometown must-dos and can't-misses: "We already got our fast-food fix at In-n-Out and Eegee's (obviously we don't have either of those in Georgia!) and we're trying to hit as many of our favorite Mexican restaurants as possible during our limited free time. We're actually on our way to Guadalajara Grill right now."

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About the concert: It's not often that you go to a percussion chamber show. "Sunday's performance at the Berger Center will feature two world premieres and many original percussion trio compositions written exclusively for our ensemble. This immersive experience will include pieces for marimba, vibraphone, multi-percussion, electronics, tambourines, cajons and more. All of our chamber performances are also educational opportunities for our audience, and this one is no exception! We always make sure to take time to demonstrate the interesting timbres of our unusual instrumentation and interact directly with the audience.

"I should also mention that we performed many of these pieces at the National Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, the world's largest chamber music competition, in 2016. We were the only percussion ensemble in the 43-year history of the competition to be senior-division medalists.

When he's not studying, he's playing: "In 2018, while in the process of completing my master's degree at UGA, I won a one-year position as principal percussionist of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. During this position, I was able to share the stage with world-renowned soloists and celebrities such as Rhiannon Giddens, Grammy Award-winning singer; and Colin Mochrie, improv comedian from 'Whose Line is it Anyways.' I've also been fortunate to have shared the stage multiple times now with Andrea and Matteo Bocceli, performing on their concert tours of Orlando and Miami in 2019 and appearing alongside them on two ABC Primetime Specials recorded on the Magic Kingdom Stage at Disney World in 2018."

Life outside of music: "I live in Athens, Georgia, now with my fiancée Holly Durr; we met in high school at Ironwood Ridge in Oro Valley and have been together for nearly 10 years."

About his talented trio-mates: "Lauren and Wesley are both accomplished orchestral musicians. Wesley currently performs full-time with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Lauren is performing as principal timpanist of the West Virginia Symphony. With each of us living in three different states, it's such a treat to be in the same place one again and able to make music together."