Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Dr. Brad Meyer, director of percussion studies at Stephen F. Austin State University, will present a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
Meyer will perform works by Andrew Hannon, Baljinder Singh Sekhon II, Thom Hasenpflug, Matthew Burtner, Casey Cangelosi and Jim Casella.
Hannon’s “Boundaries” for drumset and fixed video segments nine videos and disperses them throughout the composition based on magic squares. The formal structure is like a collage of diverse ideas. “Each of the videos concentrates on nature and has its own musical texture,” the composer states.
Sekhon’s “Distances” for solo marimba was commissioned by a consortium of percussionists, led by Michael Burritt. “The title refers to the intervallic distances between the pitch material that makes up the content of the composition,” Sekhon writes.
“Looking Down to See the Sky” by Hasenpflug references an area off the coast of Cozumel near the Columbia Reef known as El Cielo (the Heavens). The composer writes: “Here you will find a shallow sandy bottom with a bit of sea grass and hundreds if not thousands of giant starfish. The local dive operators who bring you to this location therefore say that you are ‘looking down to see the sky.’”
The program also features Burtner’s “Broken Drum,” which references a brake drum the composer found on the side of the road and made into a musical instrument.
The final piece on the program, “Prime Ordinals” represents composer Casella’s first venture “into the world of writing for a soloist with digital audio accompaniment.” It was written specifically for the djembe, a drum of African origin, which is capable of producing a wide range of timbres.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.