Ouachita to present OBU Percussion Ensemble concert March 26
March 14, 2013 - Ryleigh Salmon
Ouachita Baptist University will host the OBU Percussion Ensemble in concert on Tuesday,
March 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s McBeth Recital Hall. Admission
is free and open to the public.
“This spring’s concert is a diverse program of percussion pieces with something for
everyone,” said Dr. Ryan Lewis, assistant professor of music and director of the percussion
ensemble. “The concert will begin with Susan Powell’s ‘The Gilded Cage,’ a quartet
in which each player performs on tom-toms, cymbals, drum set, bass drum and brake
drums from a car.”
The concert will continue with “Powder Puff” by Harry Breuer, a “toe-tapping delight
from the 1930s,” said Lewis; “Head Talk” by Mark Ford, “a unique quintet piece … written
entirely for drum heads;” and free improvisation in which students will compose and
perform in the moment. The final selection before intermission will be “Ritual Music”
by David Skidmore, “a rousing, boisterous piece that sounds exactly as the title implies,”
Lewis noted.
After a short intermission, the second half of the concert will consist of two pieces
by Julie Hill, associate professor of percussion at the University of Tennessee-Martin
(UTM). According to Lewis, Hill’s pieces are “modern compositions inspired by her
experiences studying the samba reggae music traditions on the northern coast of Brazil.
“‘Sonhando em Salvador’ (Dreaming of Salvador) is a drum-only piece made up of rhythms
she experienced while researching in the city of Salvador, while ‘Rudi’s Batuque’
features keyboard percussion, drum set and electric bass in addition to the drums
of the prior selection,” Lewis added.
Lewis said he is excited to “provide the unique opportunity for our students to perform
music of another culture on traditional instruments from Brazil. ... The two pieces
are full of teachable musical moments and are enjoyable for the audience, who should
be warned that audience participation is expected!”
For more information on the percussion ensemble, visit www.obu.edu/percussion or contact Dr. Ryan Lewis at [email protected] or (870) 245-5421.
By Ryleigh Salmon
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