Percussion Collective Premiers Tonight

October 2, 2009

Concert starts at 7 p.m. in E-129

The Santa Fe Percussion Collective is a new group featuring music students and those interested in the percussive arts. Their premier concert tonight features about 40 minutes of percussion music using both traditional (marimba, xylophone, snare drum, maracas, etc.) and nontraditional percussion instruments, such as five-gallon plastic pickle buckets.

"It has been a lot of fun," said the ensemble's director, Brian Holder, who teaches percussion here and at Lipham's Music. "I actually started this at the end of last spring. Three was some excitement among the student s to get this started. We informally had kind of met at the end of the spring semester and it's been exciting to see that become an official class [Percussion Ensemble]."

Holder wrote one of tonight's pieces called "Overture." There's a traditional Guatemalan piece, "El Mashito," and "Kuhthunk" by Chris Crocarell, and "Recylced," by percussionist and composer Julie DeVila. No student works are in tonight's concert, but Holder said he plans to use their compositions in future Percussion Collective concerts.

"We're quite excited because the group is collaborative," said Holder. "I welcome student suggestions. Some of the pieces will be used again later this month when the theater students perform 'Travelin.' They're also going to be playing the five-gallon buckets drums again for the Santa Fe homecoming activities downtown."

Student performers include: Braun Balsai, Ben Cannon, Eric Cheek, Jason Cho, Jay Dillon, Patrick Heineken, Brent Lamkin, Mike McCall, Sean Smith, Robert Waelder.

The beat starts at 7 p.m. tonight in Santa Fe's Black Box Theatre, which is in E- 129. The concert is free for everyone.