On Thursday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the CFA Recital Hall, the Houghton College Percussion Ensemble will perform its spring concert.
Percussion Ensemble brings a variety of unique and energetic music to Houghton’s campus, pushing the limits of the conventional understanding of “percussion.” In the past, the Ensemble has performed everything from works for mallet percussion and drums to pieces that utilize flower pots, squeaky toys, and balloons as instruments.
Houghton’s instructor of percussion, Dustin Woodard, remarked that the vast scope of percussion repertoire is one of the things he loves about working with the Percussion Ensemble. “As percussionists we can play literally hundreds of instruments and the repertoire is just as diverse. I am never bored working with a percussion ensemble because there is always something new to learn about,” Woodard said.
That excitement, however, also makes it incredibly challenging. “That being said,” Woodard continued, “it is also a great challenge because there are so many instruments, styles, pieces, and composers that I need to know about. I don’t get to focus on one or two instruments and really perfect them, I have to balance between playing an enormous variety of styles.”
The program for the upcoming concert reflects the great diversity of the percussion world. In just one hour, the concert will journey from jazz to a marimba concerto to a contemporary piece written for six triangles, and more.
In addition to a great variety of music, the Percussion Ensemble n features a diverse set of players. The ensemble is made up of not only percussionists, but also students who come from backgrounds in brass, woodwinds, strings, and piano. Graduate student Nathaniel Libby ‘18, a member of Percussion Ensemble, commented, “Percussion Ensemble is not only an ensemble that makes great music, but seeks to expand and grow the standard percussion literature. Chamber percussion ensemble is a newcomer to the larger musical world and many of the works are completely new and highly inventive. Also, it’s simply a blast!” Playing in Percussion Ensemble gives every student an opportunity to have fun and to expand their musicality.
The wide variety of people who participate in percussion ensemble speaks to the wide appeal of percussion music. Woodard said, “percussion is very relatable to everyone. It is an easy concept to understand for the most part; everyone knows that you take a stick then hit a drum and noise comes out. What most people don’t understand is how wide and complex our art is. I love seeing the audience’s reactions to all of our music. Most people don’t realize what we can do and it is a joy to see the get excited.”
The ensemble has pieces for those that enjoy swinging to jazz, exploring classical music literature, or even delving into the avant-garde. All are welcome to come out to the Percussion Ensemble concert to support their fellow students and enjoy creative, exciting music.