An Evening of Percussion - BYU Arts

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
School of Music
presents
An Evening of
Percussion
Percussion Ensemble
Gamelan Bintang Wahyu
Panoramic Steel
RixStix Steel
7:30 p.m.
7 April 2015
de Jong Concert Hall
Harr.s Fine Arts Center
Percussion Ensemble
Ron Brough, director
Suite for Percussion
William Kraft
Toccata
Bob Campbell, guest conductor
Omphalo Centric Lecture
Escape Velocity
Nigel Westlake
Dave Hall
Notes
The title, “Omphalo Centric Lecture” comes from a painting by Paul Klee—the
direct and centered simplicity of which was an inspiration to me during the writing of this piece. The piece also owes much to the music of the African balofon,
with its persistent ostinato, cross-rhythms and variations on simple melodic
fragments. Like African music it seeks to celebrate life through rhythm, energy
and movement.
“Escape Velocity” was composed in the Spring of 2008. The quartet features
three keyboards and a djembe part, although each player plays several other
percussion instruments, often simultaneously with their primary part. This piece
is influenced by the music of Béla Bartók as well as “drum ‘n’ bass” artist like
Venetian Snares and Aphex Twin.
Guest Conductor
Bob Campbell’s career as a teacher and musician now spans more than sixty
years. After graduation from Spanish Fork High School, he entered BYU and
graduated in 1961 with a degree in music education, possibly being the first BYU
student to complete that degree with percussion as a major instrument. In 1963
he returned to BYU as a graduate assistant and later as an adjunct instructor. Remaining until 1971 he organized BYU’s first percussion ensembles and together
with Newell Dayley organized the first jazz performance groups at BYU resulting
in what we now know as Synthesis. Bob then accepted a position as band director at South Davis Junior High School in Bountiful, Utah where he remained
for the next thirty years. His involvement with professional organizations has
included being the first state chairman for the Percussive Arts Society and
extensive involvement with the Utah Music Educators Association including a
term as its president. Currently he is percussion section leader for the Orchestra
at Temple Square and he and his wife Gloria are the orchestra’s music librarians.
Bob is also supervisor of music student teachers placed in the Salt Lake Valley
by Brigham Young University Idaho. Bob and Gloria have five sons, all of whom
have followed in the footsteps of their parents as musicians and teachers. Music
has made life very sweet for the Campbell family.
Personnel
Whitney Christensen
Nathuan Hurst
Christina Hurlbut
Alexandra Brown
Gamelan Bintang Wahyu
Jeremy Grimshaw, director
Panji Marga
Asombak (2015)
Traditional, from the village of Bugbug
Nathan Thatcher
Notes
Panji Marga is an adaptation for our large, modern, bronze gamelan semaradana
of a piece for the smaller, iron-barred, and much older gamelan selonding. This
type of ceremonial ensemble was heard in Besakih, the home of Bali’s oldest and
most sacred temple, as early as 1000 years ago, and in recent years has enjoyed
something of a resurgence among younger generations; in fact, Dr. Grimshaw
learned this composition from Pande Ganha, a student at Bali’s music conservatory.
Asombak is an original work for gamelan semadarana by ensemble manager and
longtime group member Nathan Thatcher, a music composition major at BYU.
The piece conveys a number of typical elements of the flashy kebyar style of
contemporary Balinese gamelan, including a fractured, episodic opening, slow
middle section, and fast ending. But it also weaves into the Balinese framework
certain threads of contemporary pop music. As Thatcher explains:
Much of popular music today can trace its origins to the works of American
minimalists such as Steve Reich. These composers were, in turn, influenced by
the rhythmic and textural techniques native to Balinese gamelan. This piece,
drawing on motifs derived from popular music, completes the circle of influence.
About Us
Gamelan Bintang Wahyu was founded in the fall of 2008 to bring to Utah music
of Bali, an island in Indonesia. Though relatively small, Bali boasts dozens of
different styles of music, each with its own particular set of instruments. Our
Balinese gamelan is a relatively new type known as samaradana. This type of
gamelan is tuned in such a way as to allow players to play on a single set of instruments a number of different types of traditional gamelan styles. Consequently,
we are able to bring onto one stage many different gamelan styles, including
music created for royal courts, village competitions, funerals, temple ceremonies,
and social gatherings. Our repertoire has included works by living composers as
well as music that is likely several hundred years old.
Balinese music requires and celebrates intense coordination between players,
and exemplifies the strong emphasis Balinese culture places on cooperation and
community. In that spirit, our group includes music majors and non-majors, as
well as several faculty and staff members. If you are interested in joining or learning more about our ensemble, find us on Facebook or email Dr. Grimshaw at
jeremy.grimshaw@byu.edu.
Gamelan Bintang Wahyu would like to thank the BYU School of Music and the
College of Fine Arts and Communications for the purchase of these wonderful instruments. We would also like to thank the teachers who have helped our
ensemble to grow and expand its repertoire since its founding in 2008, including I Made Sumara from Pagan Kelod, Vaughn Hatch and Pande Ganha of
Mekar Bhuana Conservatory, I Dewa Berata of Çudamani, Ida Bagus Mas of the
Institut Seni Indonesia (Denpasar), I Made Lasmawan and I Putu Hiranmayana
of Gamelan Tunas Mekar in Colorado, I Ketut Gede Asnawa of University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, and Edmundo Luna and Wayne Vitale, both
formerly of Gamelan Sekar Jaya.
Personnel
Nathan Thatcher and Beau Hilton, ensemble managers
Brent Duford
James Eastmond
Kelsey Edmondson
Dirk Elzinga
Natalie Haines
Natalie Hodges
Lour Kuttab
Josie Layton
Myrna Layton
Rachael Nelson
Jesmine Ong
Joshua Palmer
Jordan Routt
Tyler Shelton
Taylor Thomas
Nicolas Totten
Emmanuel Valdez
Stuart Wheeler
Megan Witt
Panoramic Steel
Panoramic Steel personnel
Devin Vogelsberg
Blake Morgan
Nick Ayala
Robi Aamodt
Ron Brough, director
RixStix Steel
David Taylor, director
Savannah Party
Anna Meacham
Ben Coffman
Alexandra Brown
Pelham Goddard
arr. Darren Duerden
All Out Posse
arr. Jennifer Duerden
Motor Scooter Monty
Gary Gibson
Cha Cha Mi Mama
Gary Gibson
Flag Woman
Following a brief break at the conclusion of this performance, audience members will be invited onto the stage for an informal encore wherein they can see
the Gamelan instruments and musicians up close.
Traditional
arr. Ron Brough
RixStix Steel personnel
David Arrott
Curtis Gough
Travis Lee
Aaron Perrell
Jessica Sanchez
James Densley
Zach Hulse
Karl North
Michael Petersen
Marlowe Shirley
This musical event is the 164th performance sponsored the
BYU School of Music for the 2014–15 season.
BYU
School of Music
BYU
Philharmonic
Orchestra
Kory Katseanes
Conductor
Wagner
Prelude to
The Meistersinger
Borodin
Polovtsian Dances
Rimski-Korsakov
Capriccio Espanôl
Ravel
Bolero
Friday, April 10, 2015
7:30 PM
de Jong Concert Hall
$10–15