Contact: Sammy McDavid
Robert Damm and Robert Long
The fall concert by Mississippi State's Percussion Ensemble will present what might be termed a "crock concert" in the university's McComas Hall theater.
Titled "Ceramic Sound Sculptures," the free Nov. 25 event begins at 7:30 p.m. under the direction of Robert J. Damm, the associate professor of music education who directs the group.
The program's improvisational format is a culmination of the fall semester collaboration between faculty and students in MSU's departments of music education and art. Performance instruments will include pots, tuned bowls, petal drums, a marimba, chimes, and assorted drums, all made from clay.
"The compositions will feature both percussion ensemble members and students enrolled in Robert Long's advanced ceramic art classes," Damm said. Long, an associate professor, is the art department's ceramics specialist.
"Robert has said that form and function always have been key considerations in the field of ceramic art," Damm explained. "This semester, his students have manipulated the ceramic form in wonderful ways to create unique musical instruments."
Among others, the concert selections will include:
--"Las Rumbas de Cuba," an arrangement by Damm for Cuban instruments;
--"The 1908 Rag," featuring a xylophone solo by senior music education major Geoff Rosche of Madisonville, Ky.;
--"A Bowl of Light," a multimedia photography presentation organized by associate art professor Anna Chupa; and
--"High Voltage," which will employ black lights and glow-in-the-dark sticks.
For more information or a complete list of the selections, telephone (662) 325-3070.