Students Explore Percussion In Solo And Ensemble Performances During ‘Omnia’ Concert
Students in percussion courses in the new Music Performance program recently presented “Omnia,” a showcase for the work they’ve learned in individual and ensemble courses this semester.
With direction from Dr. Francisco Perez, instructional associate professor, the students performed a mix of solos and ensemble pieces, spanning modern and older works at the Black Box Theater in the Liberal Arts and Arts and Humanities Building on Nov. 20.
Performances featured the world premiere of “Hidden Universe,” composed by Ben Cato; “Omnes Trio” by Andrea Venet; “True Lover’s Farewell” by Steve Gwin; “Flying” by Chin-Cheng Lin; “Threads” by Paul Lansky; “Firefish” by Blake Tyson; and “A Light at the End” by Chad Floyd.
Students Grace Burton, JJ Wheeler, Pierce Lowe and Brook Taylor performed on marimbas and several nontraditional instruments including glass bottles, desk bells and flowerpots.
“I was so happy to see these students perform in front of people, which is always one of the first challenges to explore,” Perez said. “They were a little nervous, but I think they did great. I am really excited for their progress.”
Burton, a junior Music Performance student, said she was thrilled to play pieces that show the versatility of percussion. Burton played percussion throughout her childhood and was excited to continue in college.
“I have fallen in love with performing percussion,” she said. “When you are playing, you get locked into this moment, and you’re there and present. You get to be focused on yourself and what you are making, while providing entertainment to everybody in the audience.”
Wheeler, a freshman in the College of Engineering, performed with Burton on several songs with marimba, flowerpots, plastic pipes and glass bottles. Prior to “Omnia,” Wheeler said he had never performed with nontraditional instruments.
“This whole experience was new for me,” Wheeler said. “I thought it was super-cool to use pipes as instruments, but it was also harder because it’s not a traditional layout of a mallet instrument. There was a bit of a learning curve when it came to reading my sheet music. But overall, it was really fun.”
Perez said he is excited to expand the new Music Performance program and showcase the work of talented students. The spring semester will include a concert with Grammy-nominated composer Ivan Trevino on April 14. Perez hopes students enjoy exploring new ways of creating music.
“Each concert we put on is going to look different,” Perez said. “But at the end of the day, it’s still pushing things forward, and it’s exciting for collaborations as well. We are going to continue growing with all of the different domains that we have here on campus.”
Top photo: JJ Wheeler, Grace Burton, Dr. Francisco Perez and Pierce Lowe perform during a rehearsal for ‘Omnia.’ Photo by Jacob Svetz.
