Meet Garry Kvistad, founder of Woodstock Chimes and a professional musician. Garry Kvistad earned a Bachelor of Music from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Masters of Music from Northern Illinois University, where he studied music, art and physics in the pursuit of building musical instruments. In 2020 Garry was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. He joins celebrates such as Ringo Starr, Jack DeJohnette, Mickey Hart, Buddy Rich, and Gene Krupa to name a few.
JUNE 2021 Exciting news for music fans and Woodstock Chimes fans alike! A new Nexus Percussion – So Percussion album has been released and is available here: https://bit.ly/3q36HmN
Featuring our own Garry Kvistad, founder, and Stacey Bowers, president, of Woodstock Chimes, it celebrates the music of Steve Reich with all-new recordings of some of his seminal works, including Garry’s arrangement of “Mallet Phase,” (a version of “Piano Phase”) on instruments designed by Garry and tuned to just intonation. Two tracks were recorded in Garry’s studio here at Woodstock Chimes headquarters.
Performers are: Russell Hartenberger, Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Garry Kvistad, Eric Cha-Beach, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting, Stacey Bowers, Martha Cluver, David Degge, Luz Carimé Santa-Coloma, Beth Meyers, John Stapleton, Yumi Tamashiro, Daisy Press, Midori Koga and Gregory Oh.
Treat yourself to some amazing music today, available as a digital album and limited edition CD!
JULY 2020 During this time of a global pandemic, racial unrest, and economic uncertainty, there is a peaceful serenity from
the soothing sounds (the natural harmonic overtone series) of the “Healing
Chime,” made by Woodstock Percussion. The man behind those musical chimes is Garry Kvistad, not only a master tuner and instrument builder, but a longtime performing percussionist and champion of the arts. “I’ve known from a young age that good sounds are healing,” he explains,
“and I’ve made the study of music and sounds my life’s work.”
In addition to founding Woodstock Chimes, Kvistad—a self-described “old hippie” who has spent the past four decades in New York’s Hudson Valley—has been a member of three historic ensembles:
the Blackearth Percussion Group, Steve Reich and Musicians, and Nexus.
JUNE 23, 2020
In the summer of 2020 the folks from the West Coast Fog podcast visited Garry Kvistad at the Woodstock Chimes headquarters in the Hudson Valley. A great time was had by all! Listen to selections from Garry's 1990 cassette tape and hear sounds from his incredible collection of antique and current musical instruments.
Listen to the podcast.
Many of our customers ask which Woodstock Chime they should add to their collection. To help, Garry shared what he referred to as his favorite "sonic mixes", allowing you to cultivate your personalized sound garden with a combination of chimes with significant musical, cultural, or historical connections.
Complete your outdoor oasis with a collection of Woodstock Chimes that work together to resonate with relaxation. Check out the “Sounds Good With” tab on individual chime pages! Or here's a link to our full list: