KSC Percussion Ensemble Pays Tribute to the Drum Set

KEENE, N.H., 3/2/07 - The complexities and power of the drum set will be the focus of the Keene State College Percussion Ensemble concert, directed by Christopher Swist, on Tuesday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall of the Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond. Tickets are $7 for the general public and $5 for KSC students, senior citizens, and youth ages 17 and under. Call the box office at 603-358-2168.

The KSC Percussion Ensemble will perform pieces that incorporate between one and four drum sets, as well as timpani, conch shells, and the hammer. Compositions by John Beck, John Cage, Alexander Lepak, Anthony Miranda, Christopher Rouse, and Ben Wahlund will be performed during the concert.

Guest artists the Quey Percussion Duo, from East Hartford, Connecticut, will perform a duet for marimba and drum set. The duo originally formed in order to compete in the 2002 International Marimba Competition in Belgium, and they have continued playing together ever since. Their mission is to generate new works for percussion while also bringing standard repertoire to a broad audience. They hold a yearly composition contest and perform educational concerts for children, which present music and instruments from around the world to children of all ages.

Swist currently teaches percussion at Keene State and Holyoke Community College. He has performed with the New Britain Symphony, Waterbury Symphony, Steel Sunrise, Drumspeak, and the Lehninger-Swist Duo.

The KSC Percussion Ensemble gives music students an opportunity for public performance, which is essential to graduation from Keene State with a degree in music. For further information about the music program, call 603-358-2177.