March 25, 2004

MEADOWS PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE PRESENTS SPRING CONCERT, APRIL 14

DALLAS (SMU) - The Meadows Percussion Ensemble of SMU's Meadows School of the Arts will present its spring concert, "Percussion: International Style," at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Apr. 14 in Caruth Auditorium at the Owen Arts Center, 6101 Bishop Blvd. on the SMU campus. Under the direction of
conductor Jon Lee, the group will perform 10 works running the gamut from intense and challenging to light and fun. The concert is free, and no ticket is required. Parking is available at Hillcrest and Binkley and
in the garage beneath the Meadows Museum. For more information, please call the Division of Music at 214.768.1951.

The concert will include the 1934 benchmark work "Ionisation" by Edgar Varese, the first piece written by a Western composer for percussion ensemble; John Cage's "Second Construction (In Metal)" for percussion and prepared piano; and Steve Reich's minimalistic "Six Marimbas." One of the most difficult percussion pieces ever written, the movement "Peaux" (skins) from "Pleiades" by Iannis Xenakis, will be performed by six students, each playing eight drums.

Guest artist Helen Blackburn, principal flutist with the Dallas Opera, will join the ensemble for Jolivet's "Suite for Flute and Percussion," and award-winning SMU faculty composer and guitarist Kevin Hanlon will perform Pat Metheny's "Heat of the Day," newly arranged by Jon Lee. Other works on the program include the xylophone rag "Charleston Capers"; hand drumming by recording artist and SMU instructor Jamal Mohamed and his students; and "Marimba Spiritual" by Japanese composer Minoru Miki, featuring graduate student Ben Pachter.

The Meadows Percussion Ensemble performs both new and traditional percussion works and has appeared at numerous national and international conferences. Recent premieres have included ensemble alumnus Lane Harder's "Circus Plenus Clamor Ingens Ianuea Tensae." The ensemble has two CDs on Gasparo records: "Contact" and "Strike, the Music of Motion."