By Sam Speedie

Special to the Gazette

The deep-throated notes topple down, delivering a distinctive sound that rivals the most melodious cello-bass while retaining superlative crispness and harmonic range.

Such is the considerable gift of Mary Kissel '99, a government concentrator in Adams House who is a virtuosa player of a little-known, yet increasingly played, instrument: the marimba.

"No instrument," Kissel says, "produces as deep and rich a sound, or gives you the ability of control over the color of sound you're producing."

The marimba looks somewhat like a xylophone, with its wooden bars and metal resonators underneath, and it is manipulated by either two or four mallets.

An instrument of Latin American origin, the marimba was not used in orchestras until the late 1920s. The amount of music written for it exploded in the late '60s, and the instrument's use in the global musical community has increased exponentially since the '70s.

"You can't make a living playing only the marimba," Kissel remarks. "There are approximately three people in the world who tour internationally. To me the most exciting thing is to give a recital for people who, most probably, have never heard the instrument before. "Percussion is the art of making the nonmusical musical."

As a native of South Florida, Kissel began percussion playing at a very young age, which entailed learning everything from orchestral percussion to drum set. She discovered the marimba as a high school freshman in Jupiter, Fla., commuting to study with a teacher in Fort Lauderdale. She then spent three successive summers at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Festival, a commitment that reflected her then-staunch desire to become a professional musician. She even made an appearance on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion show.

But when Harvard came calling, Kissel decided to take advantage of "a one-shot opportunity," declining offers to study in a musical conservatory. One crucial factor in her decision to come here was the presence of Nancy Zeltsman, an internationally known marimbist, at the Berklee School of Music.

Kissel served as principal of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra for two years before stepping down to pursue her craft as a marimba soloist. "I wanted to give recitals, and I didn't have the time to balance that with playing percussion in the orchestra."

In pioneering marimba awareness at Harvard, Kissel has encountered some unforeseen duties involving fundraising and lobbying. After organizing various departments and offices behind her cause, for example, she drafted a proposal for purchasing the marimba she now plays. The instrument is stored in Sanders Theatre, and her limited access has prompted Kissel to devote more time to composing.

"It has been a difficult experience," she says, "but ultimately I have learned a lot of skills that have relevance beyond music."

At present, Kissel is aiming toward a career in the international policy sector. She plans to travel this summer to Moscow for an internship with the Defense Enterprise Fund, a publicly funded venture capital firm which supports defense conversion in the former Soviet Union.

"Coming to Harvard has opened up many opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise," she reflects. As far as her professional music aspirations go, "I'll enter competitions after I graduate, and see where that leads."