Pete's Percussion Podcast: Episode 486 - Fabrice Marandola

McGill University (QB) Percussion Professor and co-founder of the Percussion Group Sixtrum Fabrice Marandola stops by to talk about his job at McGill, his teaching career in France prior to moving to Canada, the nature of entrepreneurship, and supervising the new percussion space at the University (04:05), all things Sixtrum, along with the importance of applying for grants and being a nonprofit (27:10), growing up in central France and an overview of his career (42:30), the city of Paris and its relationship with the rest of the country, as well as his time as a French folk dancer (53:20), his undergrad years at the Superior National Conservatory of France, and his studies in music theory and harmony (01:09:30), his ethnomusicological background and his studies in Cameroon (01:17:50), and stays around for the Random Ass Questions, including discussions of sound production and musical re-creation, working and performing with his spouse, Kristie Ibrahim, great French authors, adventures in food, and inspiring art (01:29:30).

Finishing with a Rave on the best films of the 2026 True/False Documentary Film Festival (02:02:40).

Fabrice Marandola links:

Fabrice’s McGill page

Sixtrum

Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:

Kristie Ibrahim in 2024

Aiyun Huang in 2023

Gina Ryan in 2026

Megan Arns in 2017

Other Links:

TorQ Percussion Quartet

Percussions de Strasbourg

Frederic Macarez

Jacques Delécluse

“Psappha” - Iannis Xenakis

Apocalypse Now trailer

Red Grass - Boris Vian

Claude Levi-Strauss

Victor Hugo

Discourse on the Method - Rene Descartes

Raves:

True/False 2026