Alex Petcu Percussionist and teacher

Sherman | Petcu duo

Viola and percussion, with Nathan Sherman.

Alex Petcu and Nathan Sherman, smiling, in front of a dark metal door, in black and white
Photo: Néstor Romero Clemente

Nathan Sherman and I started playing together in 2018, with a programme built around Luciano Berio's Naturale, the classic for viola and percussion based on Sicilian folk songs. Realising how little music existed for the combination, we set out to add to it, and since then Kevin Volans, Ian Wilson, Kate Moore, Ann Cleare, Nick Roth and many others have written for us.

Viola and percussion have a sound all of their own, at once ancient and otherworldly. We have played all over Ireland and in London, Glasgow and Aberdeen, and made two albums: Totemic (Ergodos, 2022), one of Michael Dervan's classical albums of the year in The Irish Times, and Archetypes (Diatribe, 2025).

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Albums

Album cover: Totemic

Ergodos, 2022

Totemic

Berio's Naturale, the first piece we played together, with three works written for us: Ian Wilson's Totemic, his response to the Berio, Kate Moore's Crucible and Benedict Schlepper-Connolly's One Thing I Know. Produced by Garrett Sholdice and recorded at Hellfire Studios, Dublin.

Listen

Album cover: Archetypes

Diatribe, 2025

Archetypes

Five pieces we commissioned, inspired by Carl Jung's archetypes: by Nick Roth, Ann Cleare, Benjamin Dwyer, Siobhán Cleary and Nathan himself. Produced by Nick Roth and recorded by Rían Trench at Meadow Studios, Co. Wicklow.

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Recording Archetypes: Alex Petcu beside a lit aquarium and Nathan Sherman playing a large hanging metal sheet, among gongs, in black and white
Recording Archetypes, January 2025. Photo: Olesya Zdorovetska

Written for us

  • 2025 Kevin Volans, y Escucho a los Muertos con mis OjosCommissioned by us with funding from the Arts Council. Premiered at Music for Galway, October 2025.
  • 2024 Ann Cleare, gravity dreams ivCommissioned by us with funding from the Arts Council, and co-commissioned by New Music Dublin, where we premiered it.
  • 2024 Benjamin Dwyer, LagantongAmplified viola, percussion and tape. Commissioned by us with funding from the Arts Council. Premiered at the Walled City Music Festival, Derry.
  • 2024 Nathan Sherman, Cauldron of MorningViola, percussion and keyboards, with Garrett Sholdice. Played at New Music Dublin in 2024 and recorded on Archetypes.
  • 2023 Nick Roth, Sophia x BythosAmplified viola, aquarium and light. Commissioned by us with funding from the Arts Council. Premiered at Cafe OTO, London.
  • 2023 Ed Bennett, TwisterViola, marimba and bass drums. Commissioned by the Contemporary Music Centre for our Shades & Halflights tour, with funding from PRS Foundation's Beyond Borders.
  • 2023 Kevin O'Connell, EncuentroViola and untuned percussion. Commissioned for the Shades & Halflights tour.
  • 2023 Áine Mallon, ArborealViola and prepared marimba. Commissioned for the Shades & Halflights tour.
  • 2022 Siobhán Cleary, ScheherazadeViola, percussion and electronics. Commissioned with funding from the Arts Council. Premiered at the Finding a Voice festival, Clonmel, 2023.
  • 2021 Kate Moore, CrucibleViola and marimba. Commissioned by us. Premiered at Music for Galway, 2022.
  • 2021 Benedict Schlepper-Connolly, One Thing I KnowCommissioned by us with funding from the Arts Council.
  • 2020 Ian Wilson, TotemicA response to Berio's Naturale. Co-commissioned by Belfast Music Society, sound festival and New Music Dublin. Premiered in Belfast, 2021.
  • 2019 Ian Wilson, Apparitions IIA new version, for viola and percussion, of his Pieces of Elsewhere. Premiered at the MAC, Belfast.

Also in our programmes

  • Luciano Berio, Naturale (Viola, percussion and recorded voice)
  • Rebecca Saunders, Dialogue
  • Tigran Mansurian, Three Taghs
  • Karin Rehnqvist, I Thought the Sea Would Sing to Me
  • Missy Mazzoli, Tooth and Nail (Viola solo)
  • Gene Koshinski, Swerve (Percussion solo)

2023–24

Shades & Halflights

Our tour with the Contemporary Music Centre, supported by PRS Foundation's Beyond Borders, took new music for viola and percussion from Cork to London, Glasgow and Derry, with three new pieces by Ed Bennett, Kevin O'Connell and Áine Mallon, alongside Nick Roth's Sophia x Bythos and Benjamin Dwyer's Lagantong.

Together they have been blazing a trail in the performance of new works for viola and percussion.

Evonne Ferguson, Director, Contemporary Music Centre

Videos

Sophia x Bythos – Nick RothWritten for us, for amplified viola, aquarium and light
One Thing I Know – Benedict Schlepper-ConnollyFrom our album Totemic (Ergodos)
Totemic – album teaserErgodos, 2022
Live at UCC's FUAIM series, 2023The first concert of our Shades & Halflights tour, with three premieres

Coming up

Concerts so far

  1. 2025
    • 2 October, Music for Galway, O'Donoghue Centre, University of Galway: premiere of Kevin Volans's y Escucho a los Muertos con mis Ojos
  2. 2024
    • 26 April, New Music Dublin, National Concert Hall: the Archetypes project, with the premiere of Ann Cleare's gravity dreams iv
    • 16 March, Walled City Music Festival, Derry: the last concert of the Shades & Halflights tour, with the premiere of Benjamin Dwyer's Lagantong
  3. 2023
    • 15 December, The Night With… festival, Glasgow
    • 18 June, Cafe OTO, London: premiere of Nick Roth's Sophia x Bythos
    • 11 March, Finding a Voice festival, Clonmel: premiere of Siobhán Cleary's Scheherazade
    • 3 March, FUAIM, University College Cork: the first concert of the Shades & Halflights tour, with premieres by Ed Bennett, Kevin O'Connell and Áine Mallon
  4. 2022
    • 30 October, sound festival, Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen: Scottish premiere of Ian Wilson's Totemic
    • 28 April, New Music Dublin, National Concert Hall: the festival's opening concert, launching our album Totemic
    • 29 March, Music for Galway: premiere of Kate Moore's Crucible
  5. 2021
    • 31 October, Belfast Music Society's Northern Lights mini-festival, with the Belfast International Arts Festival: premiere of Ian Wilson's Totemic
  6. 2019
    • 14 April, Sundays at Noon, Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin
    • 11 April, The MAC, Belfast, for Belfast Music Society: premiere of Ian Wilson's Apparitions II
  7. 2018
    • 2 December, Music in Kilkenny
    • 22 November, Maynooth University
    • 16 November, St Fin Barre's, Cork, for UCC's FUAIM series: our first concert

Nathan Sherman

Nathan is an American-born violist and composer who has lived in Dublin since 1999. He is the artistic director of the Ficino Ensemble, and his own Cauldron of Morning is on Archetypes. nathanshermanmusic.com

Alex Petcu

Percussionist and teacher, core member of Crash Ensemble and founder of Bangers and Crash Percussion. More about me.

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