The Ohio University Percussion Ensemble is celebrating 50 years of performance Thursday night with a concert in Glidden Recital Hall.
In what director Roger Braun described as a “music circus,” alumni of the Ohio University Percussion Ensemble will return to the stage to perform in the finale of the group’s 50th anniversary concert.
It will be the first time they have ever performed the piece, written by Braun specifically for the production.
“I wanted a piece that would be brand new for this event that could include all the current students, any alumni, any special guests and would take no rehearsal,” Braun said.
Both current and former members of the OU Percussion Ensemble will perform Thursday in Glidden Recital Hall in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
Formed in 1965, the ensemble was first directed by Gary Olmstead, a now well-recognized percussion director and a member of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. Additionally, Guy Remonko, the director of the ensemble from 1971-2000, as well as other alumni, will act as guest performers.
The idea of the modern percussion ensemble is one that doesn’t go back much further than the 20th century, when compositions were first written solely for percussion ensembles. Thus, Braun, the current director of the ensemble, pieced together the concert to be a celebration of not only the history of the OU ensemble, but also of the history of the percussion ensemble in general.
The concert will consist of compositions from each decade since the origin of the percussion ensemble, culminating with Braun’s original piece, titled “Shuffle.” The composition, Braun said, is intended to sound similar to shuffling between songs on an iPod.
“It’s sort of a survey of contemporary percussion literature that he’s put together — aspects of the percussion literature ranging from excerpts to solo pieces,” Ryan Harrison, a member of the ensemble and a doctoral student in the interdisciplinary arts program, said. “It’s sort of like a brief snapshot of 100 years.”
Harrison graduated from the program last year but was able to continue to perform with the ensemble because Braun is his adviser.
Braun estimated that nearly 200 percussion instruments will be used throughout the course of the performance.
In the 15 years Braun has directed the ensemble, he said he has seen noticeable improvement not only in the students but also in percussion instruments overall.
“The percussion field has just expanded so much, even in 15 years,” he said. “Just what we’re expected to do as percussionists has really increased. So it’s always challenging and there’s always exciting new music.”
Andy Edelen, a member of the ensemble and graduate student studying performance, said he enjoys the amount of learning that comes with playing percussion.
“There’s so many different cultures, and so many different styles of playing even just one instrument that you’re never going to know it all, which is awesome,” Edelen said.
Current members are also excited to once again perform with those who have recently graduated.
“I shared an office with Ryan last year, so it’s like nothing changed,” Edelen said, “Except, I don’t have to smell his lunch.”
@seanthomaswolfe
