Salisbury Percussion Festival: SPF 17 April 6-8 at SU

SALISBURY, MD---The Salisbury University Music, Theatre and Dance Department hosts the 2017 Salisbury Percussion Festival: SPF 17 Thursday-Saturday, April 6-8, in Holloway Hall Auditorium.

The SU Percussion and World Drum ensembles, directed by Eric Shuster and Ted Nichols, respectively, inaugurate the event with their annual spring concert, “An Evening of Percussion,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6.

The Percussion Ensemble’s program salutes early percussion ensemble pioneer Lou Harrison (1917-2003) on the centennial of his birth. It also features a new multimedia work for percussion and computer by Matt Wellins. The World Drum Ensemble performs works by Babatunde Olatunji and Carlos Santana, among others.

The festival continues with a concert by featured artist Tatsuya Nakatani with the Nakatani Gong Orchestra 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 7. A sound artist and percussionist, Nakatani has released over 60 recordings in North America and Europe, creating a unique instrumentation using drums, gongs, cymbals, singing bowls, wooden sticks, and metal objects. He has performed at venues including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and The Issue Project Room in New York.

Students of Shuster and Nichols conclude the series with a performance at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Sponsored by the Music, Theatre and Dance Department, admission is free and the public is invited. For more information call 410-543-6385 or visit the SU website at www.salisbury.edu.