Ujjal Bhattacharyya is an up and coming marimbist from Ames, Iowa. He is a graduate of Carnegie
Mellon University, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Percussion Performance with an additional major in Mathematical Science. Ujjal made his marimba competition debut at the Great Plains International
Marimba Competition in 2014, winning third prize in the undergraduate division. Since then, Ujjal has placed at or won several competitions, including the Carnegie Mellon All-University Orchestra Concerto Competition (2014), Heartland Marimba Festival Solo Competition (2015), Italy Percussion Competition (2018), and Ithaca College Concerto Competition (2019). Over the years, Ujjal has had many roles within the Heartland Marimba organization; he started as a festival participant in 2014, became an apprentice in 2015, and toured as an artist with the Heartland Marimba Ensemble in 2018. Ujjal has also performed as an artist in residence with the un/pitched Percussion Trio- the un/pitched New Music Network’s first major project. Currently, Ujjal performs as a percussionist in the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes.
Outside of percussion, Ujjal has found success remixing Raas (an Indian folk dance) music for
competitive collegiate dance teams. His mixes have won awards and taken several teams to nationals,
including the 2018 national champions, Dirty South Dandiya (UT Austin).
Ujjal is pursuing his MM in Percussion Performance under the instruction of Gordon Stout. His other
instructors and mentors include Conrad Alexander, Greg Evans, Matthew Coley, Jeremy Branson, Paul Evans, and Chris Allen. In Fall 2019, Ujjal will return to Carnegie Mellon as the first percussionist accepted to their highly competitive Artist Diploma program in recent history.
Etude in D Major- Pius Cheung (6'43""); Jeanne y Paul- Astor Piazzolla, arr. Ujjal Bhattacharyya (4'40""); Concerto for Marimba and Strings, mvt. ii- Emmanuel Séjourné (6'50"") Total duration: 18'
https://youtu.be/MxkoJs2QKws
