With only 8000 Chapman Sticks worldwide, they are one of the most seldom seen and rarely heard instruments in the world. Today Mark White and Stefanie Barthel, known as Cascade, are the only Stick-Duo in the world. With the elegant sound of the Chapman Stick, they specialize in such music as Celtic, Romantic and Classic Rock.
Mark (Austin, Texas) and Steffi (Ulm, Germany) met in a small town on the east coast of Australia called Coffs Harbour, in November 2016. Immediately they saw a connection between the two of them and began traveling together. After 6 months, Mark decided to share his passion with Steffi and started to teach her the Chapman Stick. She caught on quickly and put in hours of practice every day. After performing in several countries, they started working on a new project together, a compilation with original Celtic pieces by Mark.
Then, 2 years later their first album together “New Beginning” was finally finished. They produce and sell their own music directly from street performing and their website. For every one of their albums sold they donate 10 trees to the Eden Reforestation Project. Mark and Steffi continue to travel around the world and share their music with different cultures.
The Chapman Stick is a fretboard instrument that is played piano-style, with the fingers of both hands tapping down onto the strings; with no picking or strumming. This technique leaves both hands free to play separate parts, the left hand playing the chords while the right hand plays the melody. The result is a huge sound with a rich, harp-like tone. The Stick and the two-handed tapping technique were both invented by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. Emmett’s astounding innovations have now enabled fretboardists the world over to reach an otherwise impossible musical potential.
