Contact: Sammy McDavid
Originally scheduled for Feb. 16, a Mississippi State-sponsored concert of African music now will be performed March 30.
The university's Percussion Ensemble and Concert Choir will be joined by Jordan Benissan, a master musician from the West African nation of Togo, for a free 7:30 p.m. public program at the Bost Extension Center auditorium on campus.
The February program, which was to have taken place at Starkville's St. Joseph Catholic Church, was cancelled after a violent storm caused major damage and power outages throughout the area.
A part of the music education department's celebration of Black History Month, Benissan's visit is made possible through a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission. The University Honors Program and Lois C. Kaufman Endowment for Music Education at MSU also are sponsors.
The percussion ensemble was founded several years ago by assistant professor Robert J. Damm, a specialist in the African musical heritage. Led by Damm, the members study and perform the polyrhythmic drumming primarily associated with the Ewe-speaking people of the coastal regions of Togo and neighboring Ghana.
The concert choir is directed by associate professor Jeffrey L. Pappas.
For more information on the concert, telephone (662) 325-3070.