Tropical Montana Marimba Ensemble

Our music has its roots in the polyrhythmic mbira traditions of the Shona tribe of Zimbabwe, which made its way to the Pacific Northwest through Dumi Maraire. In 1985, members of the Grin and Bear It String Clan encountered the marimba version of this music at the Northwest Folklife Festival, caught the spark, and Tropical Montana Marimba Ensemble was born.

Meet the Tribe

• Sarah Burdick is a professional musician with skills on multiple instruments honed over years of teaching music and playing in various symphonies.
• Helen Pilling creates canvas musical cases when she’s not knitting, playing swing guitar, or telemark skiing.
• Dan’l Moore is our strongest bass player because he spends
  his days pounding hot iron as an ornamental blacksmith. His other passion is snow, having skied each of the last 105 months.

• Barbara Calm is our local veterinarian and animal acupuncturist, a hammered dulcimer player and Neil’s courageous mom.
• Dave Streeter, our elder statesman, is a naturalist, ski guide
  and teacher. His other instruments of choice are banjo, golf clubs
  and hiking boots.
• Bill Boggs is the most easy going, talented marimba player on the planet. He and brother Ed paint houses with cool faux effects.

• Gaelyn Moore took naps under the bass marimba as a toddler and now speaks marimba fluently.Gaelyn is Helen and Dan’l’s daughter.
• Alan Roy is the band’s newest member and a sprouting musician. He teaches math and is the lucky husband of Sarah.
• Neil Hilton, Barbara’s son started with the band as a wee 7th grader. His passions are words, music, and snow, and he attends Lewis and Clark College in Portland.