News from campus and beyond

Percussion Ensemble in concert Oct. 28


Last updated October 17, 2017

By Tina Underwood

The Furman Percussion Ensemble will present a concert Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. in Daniel Recital Hall on the Furman University campus.

Directed by Furman music professor Omar Carmenates, the concert is open to the public and is presented by the Furman Department of Music. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door.

The one-hour concert showcases a wide range of contemporary music including the world premiere of Blake Tyson’s Surface of the Sky, which was written to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the integration of Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, and is dedicated to the “Little Rock Nine” students who courageously led the way. Other highlights include Edgard Varése’s seminal masterpiece Ionisation, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steve Reich’s Grammy Award-winning work Mallet Quartet.

The Furman University Percussion Ensemble performs a diverse array of literature while also dedicating itself to commissioning and performing new chamber works from both established and up-and-coming composers, most notably, Alejandro Viñao, Marc Mellits, John Psathas and David Crowell.

As part of a long-running collaboration with Furman’s David E. Shi Center for Sustainability, the ensemble also has become known for its performances and recordings of ecoacoustic music, helping promote Furman’s standing as one of the nation’s academic leaders in sustainability. Recent projects include the co-commissioning and performing of the United States premiere of John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit for 9-99 outdoor percussionists, and an upcoming recording of Matthew Burtner’s Six Ecoacoustic Quintets released through PARMA records.

For more information about the event, contact the Furman University Music Department at 864-294-2086, or email the department at FurmanMusic@furman.edu.

Contact Us
Clinton Colmenares
Director of News and Media Strategy