You reached this page through the archive. Click here to return to the archive.

Note: This article is over a year old and information contained in it may no longer be accurate. Please use the contact information in the lower-left corner to verify any information in this article.

St. Olaf Percussion Ensemble to perform, Thursday, Nov. 15

cle
November 15, 2001

The St. Olaf percussion ensemble, under the direction of music faculty member David Hagedorn, will perform on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 8:15 p.m. in Urness Recital Hall, Christiansen Hall of Music on the St. Olaf College campus. The performance is free and open to the public.

The ensemble, which is comprised of eleven percussionists, will play three pieces, each with its own distinct style. The first selection is "Tocatta" by Carlos Chavez, a piece that has become a cornerstone in traditional percussion ensemble repertoire. This piece will be conducted by student Carissa Koerner of Pueblo West, Colo.

The second selection is an improvised piece in which the entire ensemble participates. Members of the St. Olaf dance department, who will also be improvising, will join the percussion ensemble. This collaboration is completely interactive, as the musicians and dancers must respond directly to each other.

The third piece to be performed is "Marimba Spiritual" by Minoru Miki, a piece composed in 1984 in the response to the period of starvation and famine Africa was experiencing at the time. The composer uses rhythms from festival drumming of Tokyo in the second part of the piece, making the selection very dynamic and exciting.

St. Olaf prepares students to be responsible citizens of the world, fostering development of mind, body and spirit. A four-year, coeducational liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), St. Olaf has a student enrollment of 2,950 an a full-time faculty complement of approximately 300. It is one of Money Guide?s top 100 "elite values in college education today," and it leads the nation?s colleges in percentage of students who study abroad.

Contact Carole Leigh Engblom at 507-786-3315 or leigh@stolaf.edu.