The ISU Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of David Collier and Ben Stiers, will present their fall concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, November 10, in Kemp Recital Hall on the campus of Illinois State University. This concert is free and open to the public.
The intimacy and communication of chamber music is explored as the ensemble performs a variety of smaller ensemble groupings. The beautiful interweaving of rhythmic melodic and minimalistic lines is found in the marimba quintet Gravity by Mark Mellits. Using similar melodic techniques but placing them on top of a dance-like groove, is Catching Shadows by Ivan Trevino. Trevino combines the influences of pop and Steve Reich into a wonderful sextet for two vibraphones, two marimbas, and percussion.
The ensemble will perform Fractalia, a quartet by Owen Clayton Conden. Conden’s music is influenced by minimalism, electronica, and taiko drumming. Fractalia is a sonic celebration of fractals, geometric shapes whose parts are each a reduced-size copy of the whole (derived from the Latin fractus, meaning “broken”).
Venturing into a sonically different world are Hydra by Chad Heiny and Escape by Drew Worden. Hydra explores the uniqueness of un-pitched percussion sounds while Escape utilizes only six triangles. They are definitely intriguing.
This concert by the ISU Percussion Ensemble also will feature Trio by Joe Tompkins and Insomnia by Cody Holmes.
For further information on the concert, contact David Collier by e-mail at dcollier@ilstu.edu. Those who need a special accommodation, contact the music office at music@ilstu.edu or call (309) 438-7631.
