SUU Percussion Ensemble Creates the Beat of Players Choice
Published: November 13, 2021 | Author: Ashley H Palmer | Read Time: 3 minutes
Southern Utah University’s Department of Music presents the SUU Percussion Ensemble in a concert called Players Choice on November 22, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. in the Thorley Recital Hall of the SUU Music Building. Dr. Lynn Vartan will direct her students in this ensemble and play along with them. This concert is free and open to the public.
The concert is titled Players Choice due to the fact that all of the pieces are chosen by the performers. The pieces in this concert range widely from national favorites like Catching Shadows by Ivan Trevino to a piece called Extremes that has no music notation and is explained only in words.
Dr. Lynn Vartan, Director of Percussion at SUU, shares, “This concert is a very eclectic mix because I wanted our students to have the chance to choose all the pieces! I have taken notes from them for years on pieces they want to play and these are representatives from that list. Only one choice came from me, that is a piece that I get to play solo with them - it’s called Hyperbole. I can’t wait!"
The Southern Utah University Percussion Ensembles perform historically significant works for percussion, contemporary percussion literature, novelty percussion and traditional non-western percussion music. The ensembles are comprised of both music majors and non-majors and welcome students with various levels of experience. Several performance opportunities are available to members of the Percussion Ensembles, including concerts, performances and other promotional events for the College of Performing and Visual Arts as well as concerts on and off campus.
Adam Smith, senior Mechanical Engineering major from Lakewood, Colorado, says, “Being able to play with other students who are highly dedicated to practice and rehearse is like no other. I’ve had the most fun rehearsing because the students involved bring with them a diligent mindset to practice and learn, along with a mellow vibe that everyone can rely on. Some of us love to play very difficult rhythms while others love the colors from chords and melodies, and this concert brings out a whole buffet of the best moments of playing percussion. Percussion is more than just the beat on the drums, it’s a bonding experience.”
Eliza Barton, sophomore Music major and Theatre minor from Montana, states, “It is always exciting when we get to decide our own pieces for a concert. It makes everyone more motivated and excited to learn them. Our students have a penchant for choosing difficult pieces because they often sound the most enticing, so even though it has been a lot of hard work, the payoff for producing this concert is going to be enormous! The pieces we have make an incredibly unique program, ranging from stunning and difficult marimba and percussive duets, to movie music, to some of the most iconic ensemble pieces in the percussion world. This concert is sure to give an enjoyable and one-of-a-kind experience to patrons of all ages!”
Win big attending Players Choice with the SUU Percussion Ensemble on November 22, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. in the Thorley Recital Hall. For more information about percussion in the Department of Music at SUU, please visit www.suu.edu/pva/music/percussion/.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 26 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, music, and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year and is affiliated with the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Center for Shakespeare Studies. Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.Tags: Music College of Performing and Visual Arts