Maria Kundakcioglu

Drummer, percussionist, pianist, and composer Maria Kundakcioglu is a senior student at Martingrove Collegiate Institute in Toronto. She graduated from the Special Advanced Program at the Yamaha Music School where she began composing for piano at the age of 6. She has since recorded and performed her compositions arranged for various ensembles with professional musicians in Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Whistler, and at the Asian Oceania Junior Original Concert in Thailand, Bangkok. Maria was inspired to begin arranging her compositions for stage band by her school conductor after hearing her perform her combo arrangement of “Sol Fiesta” performed at the Living Arts Center in Toronto in a tribute concert for Oscar Peterson. Consequently, the John G. Althouse middle school stage band brought home the gold and adjudicator’s award from The Heritage Music Festival in Chicago in 2006 along with first place at the Kiwanis Ontario Provincial Music Festival with Maria’s composition and arrangement of “Sol Fiesta” as part of their repertoire.Her composition “Tumbadora” was debuted in a combo version at the Sheraton Centre for the Performing Arts while opening for Herbie Hancock during the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival in 2007. Currently, Maria teaches drums privately, writes and sings with the band “A Goodbye Incident!”, can be found counseling and teaching percussion at Mono Cliffs and Albion Hills Toronto District School Board summer camps, conducting her school choir, and playing percussion and piano with the Etobicoke Youth Band and many performing ensembles at her high school.

Sol Fiesta

By Maria Kundakcioglu

latin
Grade 3
Order!
$60.00

Maria says: "This upbeat Latin song was created around the bass line, which was derived from a phrase my friend said in class one day. The arrangement gives each section of the band a chance to shine. There are some classic Latin syncopated rhythms throughout the arrangement and some challenging and fun brass parts."

Other features;

  • Lead trumpet to high C
  • Lead trombone to high C
  • Syncopated Latin rhythms
  • Improvised piano solo
  • Drum set solo
BandSubgenreComposerDurationMeterTempo
Jazz BandSambaMaria Kundakcioglu6:004/4100

Tumbadora

By Maria Kundakcioglu

latin
Grade 3
Order!
$60.00

Maria says: "Tumbadora is a salsa tune I wrote inspired by the role of the congas in Latin music. The feel and rhythms are reminiscent of the sound of the Latin ensembles I enjoy listening to. There is also a heavy influence of the piano in this arrangement which gives the piano player in your band an opportunity to be featured throughout as well as in an improvised section at letter D. You can include a conga player in addition to the drummer and they have a chance to trade solos in the open percussion solo section one bar before letter E. There are some fun brass parts throughout with some challenging rhythms. This is a driving arrangement that will give your whole band a good workout."

  • Other features
  • Lead Trumpet to high C
  • Lead Trombone to high B
  • Percussion section solos
  • Improvised piano solo
BandSubgenreComposerDurationMeterTempo
Jazz BandLatin FunkMaria Kundakcioglu5:304/4120

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