"My Marimba One is more than an instrument. It’s an extension of who I am as a musician."
Ujjal Bhattacharyya
Ujjal Bhattacharyya is an Indian-American percussionist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ujjal holds a BFA in Percussion Performance with an Additional Major in Mathematical Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University as well as an MM in Percussion Performance from Ithaca College under the instruction of acclaimed marimbist and pedagogue Gordon Stout.
As a soloist, Ujjal has won or placed in several competitions, including the ENKOR International Music Competition (1st Prize, 2019), Ithaca College Concerto Competition (Winner, 2019), Italy Percussion Competition (2nd Prize, Marimba Category B, 2018), Heartland Marimba Festival Solo Competition (Winner, 2015), Carnegie Mellon All-University Orchestra Concerto Competition (Winner, 2014), and Great Plains International Marimba Competition (3rd Prize, Undergraduate Division, 2014). He has also premiered solo marimba works by several composers including Gordon Stout, Marco Schirripa, and Josh Oxford. As a chamber and orchestral percussionist, Ujjal has played with several groups including un/pitched Percussion Trio, Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, Nat28, and Alia Musica. As an educator, Ujjal has given masterclasses at Tennessee Tech University, Fort Hays State University, and Northern Kentucky University. He is currently the Virtual Percussion Ensemble Teaching Artist at Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras.
Over the years, Ujjal has held 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 Heartland Marimba Ensemble in 2018. In 2020, Ujjal was selected to become a Heartland Marimba Quartet artist and serve as the organization’s productions director.
Ujjal is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma from Carnegie Mellon University as the first percussionist to be accepted to this highly competitive program in recent history. He studies under Chris Allen, Jeremy Branson, and Paul Evans. His other mentors and instructors include Gordon Stout, Matthew Coley, Conrad Alexander, and Greg Evans.