Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Dr. James Vilseck, adjunct faculty and percussion instructor in the School of Music at Stephen F. Austin State University, will conclude a concert tour of multiple universities with a performance at 6 p.m. Friday, March 17, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
Vilseck will be joined by colleague Dr. Samantha Inman, flute, and coordinator of music theory at SFA, as they perform two movements of David Gillingham’s “Five Fantasies of Natural Origin” for Marimba and Flute. Other works to be performed include “Koolish Zein” by John Psathas; “Small” by Joan Tower; “Marriage of the Lamb” by Kevin Bobo; “Shred” by Caleb Pickering; “Amethyst” by Andy Akiho; and “An Hour of Change” by Shaun Tilburg.
“As with many of my performances, I am trying to present a recital of rigorous music that suits my tastes as a performer and listener, as well as things I think are intriguing to the audience,” Vilseck said. “As a percussionist, I also strive to perform on a variety of different instruments. Along the way, I aim to present music that follows modern trends and supports diversity and inclusion. In this recital are many pieces in my ‘I-want-to-play’ list – pieces I’ve been eyeing for a while or wanting to replay for a while.”
Tilburg’s “An Hour of Change” for snare drum and tape features John F. Kennedy’s “We Choose to go to the Moon” speech. It is a creative work using brushes and drum sticks, and the performer matches their playing to the cadence of the speech. “The selection of this piece is related to a few adventures I’ve had in Texas in the last year,” Vilseck said, “including a trip to the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, where the speech the piece is based on was given, as well as the Sixth Floor Museum which chronicles JFK’s legacy and assassination in Dallas.”
“Amethyst” is a part of Akiho’s 11-part, 80-minute work titled “Seven Pillars.” It is the first of four solo movements in “Seven Pillars.” Vilseck describes “Amethyst” as “reflective, calm, yet also extreme.” Instead of the usual set of mallets, the piece uses a single mallet, a metal brush called a dreadlock, and a timbale drum stick. “This unique combination of implements create harmonious clusters that remind me of an intense internal dialogue – conflict, resolution, violence and forgiveness within one seven-minute movement,” he said. “This work left me in awe the first time I witnessed it, and it does the same as a performer.”
The remaining pieces encompass an intriguing mix, according to Vilseck. Bobo’s “Marriage of the Lamb” for marimba depicts the Marriage Feast of the New Testament in three parts: Rapture, the Final Battle and Eternity. In contrast, Pickering’s “Shred” is styled after metal rock and uses a double kick drum and tambourine. Tower’s “Small” is a multi-percussion work dedicated to legendary percussion soloists Dame Evelyn Glennie. Sixteen different small instruments all fit onto a single small table and are played with small sticks, or in this case, chop sticks.
Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit https://www.finearts.sfasu.edu/events/2023/03#2112. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.