Sword fighting and physics: inside the mind of AYO Symphonist percussionist Valdas Cameron
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Valdas Cameron is practising using cymbals to bring the sword fighting from Romeo and Juliet to life in his preparation for this year’s AYO Symphonists concert – Voyage of Discovery. In Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet: Fantasy Overture, the “fast, off-beat crashes” are used to mimic the sound of swords clashing. Valdas offers insight into the technique necessary for creating this sonic effect, and there’s a lot more to it than a non-percussionist might expect:
“Proper posture and technique are crucial in avoiding arm/wrist injuries. A lot of gross motor precision, spatial awareness, and understanding of energy transfer is involved in getting the sound just right. No-one wants a dull clang instead of a crisp crash!”
This season of AYO Symphonists will be the 18-year-old percussionist’s fifth Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) program. Valdas was previously the Principal Timpanist in one the 2026 National Music Camp AYO orchestras, where he enjoyed learning from timpani tutor Alex Timcke (WASO).
When asked about the difference between timpani and percussion, Valdas explains that the timpani can be considered “a specialisation of percussion”. “Timpanists play timpani and percussionists play all the other percussion instruments, from triangle to xylophone to bass drum, and many more.”
Valdas Cameron counting rests and sitting at the timpani in an AYO National Music Camp rehearsal. Photo: Claudio Raschella
A great timpanist is not only concerned with being rhythmically accurate – as if that wasn’t already challenging enough! Valdas explains that timpanists also carefully consider tuning, timbre (the character of sound), and phrasing (the shaping of musical lines). “Not many people know timpani are tuned instruments,” Valdas comments. If you look closely at a set of timpani in an orchestra, there will usually be between two to four differently sized timpani drums. Valdas explains that each of these timpani “have their own range of pitches,” which are tuned “up and down with a pedal at our feet”. An extra challenge is presented by hot stage lights, which can “heat up the skins on the timpani, affecting their pitch and timbre”.
Unlike at National Music Camp, the percussionists at AYO Symphonists take turns playing timpani and percussion parts. AYO Symphonists caters for younger participants, with applicants ranging from 12-17 years old. Rotating timpani and percussion parts allows more of these young percussionists to experience playing timpani.
Valdus credits AYO programs with providing invaluable musical experiences:
“I love working with other dedicated musicians and learning from professional tutors and world class conductors. I’ve also made wonderful friends from all across Australia through the Symphonists program,” he says.
There’s another benefit of participating in AYO as a percussionist – having access to the AYO percussion collection. As Valdas comments, “one thing about percussion is that many of the instruments are quite large and expensive, and many of us don’t have our own at home”.
With so many instruments to practice, how do percussionists decide what to focus on? Valdas shares that with his practice sessions, he structures it “like most of the other orchestral instruments”, breaking them into sections of “warming up, technical work, and preparing performance materials”.
Valdas on cymbals during the Brass and Percussion Concert at AYO National Music Camp in Adelaide in 2026. Photo: Australian Youth Orchestra
Valdas notes since “most percussion instruments are naturally quite loud,” percussionists have to specifically practise “the ability to play at softer dynamics”. “A lot of the art of percussion (including timpani) comes down to understanding the physics of what is going on and how you as a player interact with it.”
When asked to choose a favourite between timpani and percussion, Valdas admits he loves them both. To see Valdas’ passion for all things percussion, catch him performing with the AYO Symphonists in Ngunnawal, Canberra on 11 April at the Voyage of Discovery concert.
