In 2010, Greg Harrison and Jonny Smith created the percussion duo Taktus while they were both pursuing graduate studies at the University of Toronto. With a wide range of musical influences – from minimalism, to jazz, to electro-acoustic music – Taktus seeks to create music that crosses borders between genres and is relevant to contemporary audiences. Their premiere project is set of marimba duet arrangements of Glass Houses – a seminal work of Canadian minimalism by composer Ann Southam. In April of 2011, Taktus performed these arrangements at the “Tribute to Ann Southam” concert at MacMillan Theatre in Toronto.
2015 was a break-out year for Taktus with the launch of their debut album, Glass Houses for Marimba. The album was released in July on the Canadian Music Centre’s record label, Centrediscs. It has received critical acclaim by reviewers from Wholenote Magazine, Scene Magazine, I Care If You Listen and has landed the #9 spot on CBC’s “Top 10 Classical Albums of 2015”.