The Department of Dance, Music, and Theatre at Cal Poly Humboldt presents Contemporary Music for Percussion performed by the “Cal Poly Humboldt Percussion Ensemble” and Samba of Bahia performed by the “World Percussion Group”. The performances are directed by Howard Kaufman. Join us Saturday, April 18th at 7:30 p.m. at the Fulkerson Recital Hall. Concert tickets are $15 General, $5 Children, and $5 for Cal Poly Humboldt students with ID. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at tickets.humboldt.edu/dance-music-and-theatre

Director Howard (Howie) Kaufman is enthusiastic about the evening's program, "I so appreciate the love and support that Humboldt County has shown us for the forty-plus years I have been a part of the percussion experience on campus and in the community. Please come out to this concert, support our students and the unique live music that the percussion ensembles perform. You won’t be disappointed!

The Cal Poly Humboldt Percussion Ensemble program will be featuring three exciting works, including Sin Fronteras (without Borders) by Rick Dior, which has never before been performed on the North Coast. This piece features keyboard percussion instruments including marimbas, vibraphones, glockenspiel and drumset. The composition explores rhythmically complex themes using jazz harmony, improvisation, odd time signatures and modern Latin rhythms, which gives it a modern jazz-fusion character.

Another work on the program, Catching Shadows by Ivan Trevino, like Sin Fronteras, features keyboard percussion instruments, along with two cajons, box drums originally used in Spain, South America, and the Carribbean. Ivan Trevino is one of the most regarded current composers of percussion ensemble music today. Ivan Trevino composed Catching Shadows after hearing fellow contemporary percussionist Michael Burritt’s iPod playlist, which was filled with music by Radiohead, Dave Matthews, Earth Wind and Fire, and other rock music. Inspired by this unexpected discovery, he decided to write a rock duet for marimbas, and later expanded the composition to a sextet. 

A third piece, Sear-Ching, composed by our very own Cal Poly Humboldt professor and percussionist Dr. Eugene Novotney, was written for a 19 tone diatonic scale played on four tube-a-phones. Each tube-a-phone has six aluminum tubes cut to different lengths that correspond to a 19 tone scale with some duplicated pitches. Dr. Novotney constructed these instruments and then composed this piece, which is unlike anything you have ever heard before. 

Additionally, members of the Percussion Ensemble, will be performing two duets, and three solo works for percussion including Dance of Water by Justin Bunting, a piece inspired by the sound of a dripping faucet with two different drips, irregular, yet mesmerizing. The two performers play multiple patterns that increase in rhythmic intensity as the piece progresses, move through several time signatures, and eventually come together in the end.

 “A Vision From My Dream” and “With A Mazy Motion”, two movements from Tim Huesgen‘s Trilogy: Three Movements For Solo Vibraphone are stunning and beautiful works of art that showcase the full range of the instrument. 

The concert culminates in a high-energy finale as the World Percussion Group brings the vibrant sounds of Brazil to life with electrifying samba grooves from the Bahian region. Inspired by the legendary Bloco Afro group Ilê Aiyê, the ensemble will ignite the stage with the powerful rhythms of Samba Afro, Samba Reggae, and Ijexá. This exhilarating performance promises an unforgettable celebration of rhythm, culture, and community that will have audiences feeling the pulse long after the final note. 

When: April 18th at 7:30pm

Where: Fulkerson Recital Hall, Cal Poly Humboldt

Ticket Purchase: tickets.humboldt.edu/dance-music-and-theatre

Contact: Cal Poly Humboldt School of Dance, Music, and Theatre, 707-826-3566, mus@humboldt.edu A limited number of tickets will be available for purchase at the door, one hour prior to the performance.