First time I met Frank was in the early 90s at our home when Boston Symphony Orchestra was on a tour to Los Angeles.  Bill invited the whole percussion section of BSO and the whole percussion section of Los Angeles Philharmonic.  I made a Chinese banquet for them.  Without saying, I felt very

Frank took me today @ The Elephant Walk, a restaurant with Cambodian & French fushion

honored.  As a matter of fact, I probably had met Frank in Shanghai as early as in 1980, Frank was with BSO to visit Shanghai as China just opened its door to the west.  Then I was studying composition at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.  I remember that chilly winter day in February 1980 when Seiji Ozawa’s and his BSO members waling into the campus of the conservatory, we were beating drums and hitting tam=tams welcoming them.  During that time, we were so ignorant in terms of Western music; we barely knew Debussy, Ravel, Schonberg and Stravinsky. Every student was an avid learner.  Therefore when BSO’s members were giving master classes in different department, every classroom was packed tightly, almost no room for breathing.  The tickets to their concert were completely sold out long before to their arrival.  My father was playing trumpet at Shanghai Ballet then, somehow this “inside track” made my dream come true by going to the concert given by the one of the best orchestras in the world.  Frank showed me some old photos he took from 1980 China tour.  I noticed that it’s a grey plateau of China then, The clothes people wearing were all dull colors of grey and blue, their skin tones were sallow from malnutrition, the old colonial buildings were like dilapidated museums.  That’s why I love to wear bright colored clothes now to make up my lost youth during the Cultural Revolution.  I would never imagine myself could be able to stay at Frank’s quaint 3-story home after 28 years in Brookline, Boston.  A few blocks from their house, there is John Kennedy’s birthplace, now a national museum.

Frank wears many hats.  Besides playing full time at BSO (he especially is well-known for his cymbal playing, the best on this planet!), he’s also the chairman of the Percussion Department and Brass Department at the prominent New England Conservatory.  IN ADDITION, he’s in charge of the contemporary music ensemble “Collage”.  Recently, he published his signature book “Cymbalisms”.  AND, he’s a marvelous conductor.  On Sunday, he’s going to premier my “Orphan Sanmao” along with some other pieces.  I don’t know how he handles these multiple tasks with such ease. Please do not forget check Frank’s website at frankepstein.com. 

“‘Cymbalisms’ is that rare book on instrumental technique and performance that appear once, may I dare say, in a century, it is an aesthetic approach, dealing as it does with the beauty, the drama, and the art of our profession in that it is concerned with the intentions of the composer.

This is accomplished by not only showing the technique, but also by describing the circumstances in the music, i.e., why this or that technique is called for. In "Cymbalisms" Frank shares that approach by going into the repertory so completely that all percussionists when approaching a work for the first time will do so with knowledge and confidence.

The student, the young percussionist entering the profession, and even many professionals in all facets of our profession, will be prepared for any eventuality from auditions to being confronted by new works. This is because they will approach these situations with the awareness of Frank's experience with a great orchestra and with an incredible amount of repertory spanning over 250 years (Bach to Elliott Carter), coupled with an impressive intellect and insight into the making and meaning of music.”