Percussionist to perform

Contact: Kay Fike Jones

A Mississippi State University music education instructor will present a Faculty Artist Concert April 23.

Percussionist Robert J. Damm will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the McComas Hall theater.

The program includes:

"Divertimento for Marimba and Alto Saxophone," with Gail Levinsky (music education instructor) on saxophone--The piece was composed at the request of Keiko Abe, the world-famous Japanese marimbist.

"Raga No. 1 for Solo Timpani"--This piece was inspired by the rhythm and techniques used on the tablas, traditional drums of North Indian classical music.

"Cadencia para Berimbau"--The berimbau, a musical bow, was brought to Brazil in the 1500s by slaves from Angola. The berimbau is used in Brazil with other African-derived instruments in a musical and dance genre called capoeira.

"Amores"--This piece consists of two solos for prepared piano and two trios for percussion. A prepared piano is a grand piano that is altered by placing such objects as screws, bolts and pieces of rubber between the strings.

"Three Solos for Frame Drums: Quatrinity, Etude in Arabic Rhythms and Variations on a South Indian Theme"--Quatrinity is performed on the Irish bodhran; Etude is played on the doumbek; and Variations is composed for kanjira, a small tambourine-like frame drum used in South Indian musical ensembles.

"Sources III," with Levinksy on clarinet--The duet is written for clarinet and percussion.

For more information on the concert, contact the music education department at (601) 325-3070.