Paulson started at age 6 (wanting to be like his cousin who started at age 4) and never imagined ... the soloists and their array of timpani will be onstage, with the orchestra set below them ...

His Concerto Fantasy, as staged Tuesday evening at the Peabody Conservatory, has a radical look: The orchestra is fronted by two circles of seven timpani each, and inside each circle, playing all ...

Timpani is a plural word for the set of kettle drums that are a standard part of an orchestra's instrumentation. Normally, they are played by one percussionist.