Concert Events Highlight Student Work In New Music Performance Degree
The new Music Performance program that debuted this semester in the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts has a series of concerts happening Tuesday through Nov. 21.
The free events include performances by students in vocal performance courses and percussion courses and the Maroon Steel and Trombone Choir ensembles. A concert titled “Silk and Bamboo” features guest artists performing with traditional Japanese instruments.
Andrea Edwards, acting program director for the program, said she is proud to showcase students’ talents and expertise.
“We are very lucky to have an extraordinary group of people in the Music Performance program, both faculty and students,” Edwards said. “The faculty have delivered their courses to students with energy and an expectation of excellence. The students surpassed our expectations, pushing themselves further than they thought was possible. The combined efforts of all members in the program are truly inspiring. And the wonderful thing is, this is only the beginning.”
Maroon Steel Courtyard Show
Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the courtyard of the Liberal Arts and Arts and Humanities Building, facing the East Quad. In case of rain, the concert will take place Nov. 19.
Maroon Steel’s fall concert will include traditional calypsos, socas, experimental works and popular tunes, said Dr. Kim Kattari, faculty adviser for Maroon Steel and instructor of the Small Ensembles course.
Sam Payne, a graduate Performance Studies student and president and student director of Maroon Steel, will debut a piece he composed called “Cacophony in F Minor.” The event also marks the debut of the Tobago Band, the beginner ensemble group.
“Students in this ensemble started playing steel pan just this semester, and some of them joined with little-to-no previous musical experience,” she said. “They’ve come so far and have accomplished so much. It’s been a joy sharing the history, culture and music of steel pan with these students. I love their enthusiasm and I can’t wait for them to demonstrate what they’ve learned.”
‘Silk and Bamboo: Soundscapes of Japan From Past to the Present’
Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Black Box Theater in the Liberal Arts and Arts and Humanities Building.
Dr. Martin Regan, professor in the Music Performance program, invited David Kansuke Wheeler and Yōko Reikano Kimura to perform works for three traditional Japanese instruments: shakuhachi, an end-blown bamboo flute; koto, a 13-string zither; and shamisen, a three-stringed plucked lute.
Kimura will sing in Japanese as English subtitles are shown on a stage screen. Regan said Kimura and Wheeler present an “engaging program for three representative Japanese instruments and voice that will take listeners back in time to 19th century Japan.”
“Kimura and Wheeler are consummate performing artists known worldwide for the depth of their musical expression, flawless technique and profound knowledge of Japanese classical music,” Regan said. “It’s extremely rare to encounter this degree of artistry outside of Japan. I hope that this authentic experience will be etched in the memory of all in attendance for years to come.”
Voice Studio Recital
Friday from 12:40 to 2 p.m. at the Black Box Theater in the Liberal Arts and Arts and Humanities Building.
Students in Vocal Performance I and II courses will perform a recital featuring classical and contemporary works, led by instructor Dr. Rebecca Hays, associate professor in the Music Performance program.
The songs include works by Franz Schubert, Vincenzo Bellini and Mozart; with musical theatre selections from “Les Misérables,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Beauty and the Beast.” There will also be jazz pieces composed by Johnny Mercer and Nat King Cole.
“I am thrilled with the energy and progress of these amazingly talented students,” Hays said. “We have really tried to capture a broad scope of repertoire in just over an hour of music. Please come out and enjoy their rich talent.”
Trombone Choir and Small Ensembles Concert
Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the A&M United Methodist Church’s Great Hall, 417 University Drive in College Station.
Students in the Texas A&M Trombone Choir will perform alongside students in Small Ensembles courses, with direction from Dr. David Wilborn, associate professor in the Music Performance program.
The saxophone quartet will perform Tatsuki Tsushima’s “Driving Strange Attractor” and close with “Volcanic Ash” by Chris Evan Hass. The Trombone Choir will open with “Festive Fanfare” by Ray Braswell; followed by “SlideShow” by Wilborn; “October” by Eric Whitacre; “The Hex Files” by James Kazik; “Chorale” from “Prince Igor” by Alexander Borodin; “Magnificent Seven” by Elmer Bernstein; and “Deep in the Heart of Texas” by Don Swander.
The concert will also feature an original composition by engineering student Obinna Nwakwue, who will present “Airborne.” Aggie alumnus Noel Freeman will present “Launchpad.”
“I am especially proud of Noel Freeman because his professional work as a bass trombonist and as a composer is precisely the kind of work I do,” Wilborn said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to know that my professional activities are playing a role in his career.”
Omnia: An Aggieland Percussion Ensemble Concert
Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Black Box Theater in the Liberal Arts and Arts and Humanities Building.
Students in Percussion Performance and Percussion Ensemble courses will perform an ensemble concert, led by Dr. Francisco Perez, instructional associate professor in the Music Performance program.
Perez said the concert features a mix of solos and ensemble pieces, spanning modern and older works. Students will also debut “Hidden Universe” composed by Ben Cato, which is an “evocative exploration of cosmic wonder and complexity,” he said.
“I’m thrilled to share this program with our audience,” Perez said. “Alongside traditional instruments, we’re using everyday objects like glass bottles, deck bells and flower pots, transformed into musical instruments to create a rich, quirky and varied soundscape. I hope guests walk away with a new appreciation for the expressive power and versatility of percussion — and feel inspired by the beauty and creativity that percussion brings to the stage in such unexpected ways.”
Trombone Choir Concert
Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 1001 Woodcreek Drive in College Station.
The concert will open with a solo clarinet performance by senior Visualization student Emilie Sangerhausen. She will perform the first movement of Leonard Bernstein’s clarinet sonata, with piano accompaniment by Robert Rutherford, Master of Arts student in Performance Studies, followed by a performance from the Texas A&M Trombone Choir.
Faculty Recital
Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Black Box Theater in the Liberal Arts and Arts and Humanities Building.
Dr. Rebecca Hays, associate professor in the Music Performance program, will perform an evening of song including classical and holiday standards with piano accompaniment from Dr. Jeffrey Peterson, associate professor at Baylor University.
