Percussion Ensemble Spring 2022

The University of Illinois Chicago School of Theatre and Music presents

Percussion Ensemble Spring Concert

Friday April 29, 2022 Jordan Kamps, director

Land Acknowledgement Statement

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The UIC School of Theatre and Music sits on the traditional homeland of the original peoples of the area: the Three Fires Confederacy (the Potawatomi, Odawa, and Ojibwe Nations) as well as the Menominee and Ho-Chunk who—along with many Indigenous people—were among its first inhabitants. With respect and gratitude, The School of Theatre and Music honors the many Native Americans who have, do, and will call this land their home.

STM acknowledges that we have benefitted from the repeated attacks on Native Americans that forced tribal representatives to sign the 1816 Treaty of St Louis, relinquishing to the U.S. all claims of the land from Lake Michigan to the Illinois River. This land seizure led to the era of economic development and rapid growth that made Chicago the metropolis that it is today.

We have an obligation to our students and the nearly 65,000 Native Americans now living in Chicago to do no further harm, to amplify Native voices, and to fight for equity and inclusion by engaging in anti-racism policies and practices. For us, this work begins with this statement, and must be followed by actions that immediately affect our work and life on campus. STM therefore commits to the following initiatives: / The creation of an Antiracism Action Plan and Committee / Antiracism training for all STM faculty and staff / Annual Recruitment workshops and on-site special events for Native high-schoolers. / An annual master class or talk with Native musicians and/or theatre artists. / Free tickets to STM performances and concerts, provided through UIC’s Native American Support Program. / Increased representation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) voices and perspectives in STM pedagogy, classrooms, and performances.

This is only the beginning of our work. We look forward to expanded and sustained STM programming that addresses ignorance, systemic racism, and white dominance.

Developed by STM Theatre Faculty 08.25.2020

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Repertoire Agreed

David Skidmore (b. 1982)

Spine

Michael Laurello (b. 1981) Special Guest Emily Fine, piano Caleb Fetzer, soloist

Push the Dust

Eve Beglarian (b. 1958) Jenny Eng, soloist

Gravity

MARC MELLITS (B. 1966) Special Guest Marc Mellits, marimba

Ephemera

Francisco Perez (b. 1990)

01_08

Jordan Kamps (b. 1988) World Premiere

Personnel Josue Avila Hayley Balen Nicholas Casas Anna Elsen Jenny Eng Caleb Fetzer Matthew Greenberg Adrian Knight Mia Peric Hannah Shaikh

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Program Notes

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Agreed Commissioned by percussionists John Corkill and Alex Monroe, Agreed is one seven electro acoustic works that make up David Skidmore’s suite Aliens with Extraordinary Abilities. The piece is constructed through a series of hemiolas. Each performer has their own pattern repeating at different intervals from one another. At times these hemiolas play off one another, at times they work together to created grooves and harmonies. All of this over the pulsing, building drone of the electronic track.

A single line runs through most of Spine, and virtually all of the musical material is derived from it. This meta-line, often articulated by the soloist, serves as the spine of the music, both in structural terms (backbone), but also with respect to the line’s perceived control over the direction and progression of the music (central nervous system). The material played by the supporting members of the quartet colors and punctuates this main line. Over the course of the work, players drift in and out of agreement with one another, and, occasionally, the primary line loses its unique identity within the texture of the ensemble. I tried to impart an almost biological sense to the way motives grow, attempting to balance intuitive, almost improvisatory, types of development with more structured patterns and processes. Spine is dedicated to the members of the Yale Percussion Group for their unwavering support.

Push the Dust Push the Dust was originally written as part of a larger cello work for Maya Beiser called I am writing to you from a far-off country. The text, by Belgian surrealist Henri Michaux, is written as a series of letters from a woman to an unnamed recipient.

We are more than ever surrounded by ants. They push the dust uneasily at top speed. They take no interest in us. Not one raises its head. This is the most tightly closed society that could exist, although outdoors they constantly spread out in all directions. It doesn’t matter, to realize their projects, their preoccupations… they are among themselves… everywhere. And until this moment, not one has raised its head towards us.

It would rather be crushed.

Program Notes

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The percussion version of this piece comes from a demo that was made with mallet percussion instead of cello. This piece originally calls for a single performer pre-recording the additional parts, creating their own track to perform along with. The composer suggests performing the 6 parts on similar sounding instruments recreating musical chaos that mimics the visual chaos of ants at work.

Emphemera Emphemera was written by Francisco Perez following a two-year hiatus from composing percussion music. The piece is scored for mallet sextet and features fast rhythmic figures together with a haunting, fleeting, floating melody. Perez wrote this piece as a response to the resilience of his students at Lamar University throughout the 2020-21 school year. “Ephemera” means “things that exist, or are enjoyed for only a short time.” This piece serves as a reminder to take stock and enjoy the small moments of life that are fleeting, ephemeral. Anything could change in an instant, leaving only fleeting memories.

Gravity Gravity was written in the spring of 2013 for a consortium led by Thad Anderson. The piece is scored for two marimbas and two vibraphones with an optional third marimba part. The piece consists of small melodies and rhythmic motives that are presented, explored, discarded, and revisited throughout the piece. Mellits, a member of the UIC faculty, is, at heart, a percussionist, and gets a change to explore our world on this piece.

Program Notes

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01_08 I wrote 01_08 in January 2020 (hence the title, the day it was finished). At the time, the concert the UIC Percussion Ensemble was putting together needed something that was loud, had accessible parts for the whole ensemble, and featured electronics. The original performance was put on hold for the pandemic. For this piece I dug into my deep love of the great music that came with really bad 80s movies. This was an era where just one person, a Yamaha DX-7, and a Roland 808 could score an entire martial arts-filled action movie on a budget. Now I’m not talking about the scores to movies like Predator, Top Gun, or Robo Cop, I’m talking about movies like Samurai Cop, Hard Ticket to Hawaii, or Miami Connection. This piece tries to capture the spirit and the groove of a simple beat combined with the power of synthetic sounds found in these soundtracks.

Conductor Biography

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Jordan Kamps is a Chicago based percussionist currently teaching Percussion Ensemble, American Popular Music, Fundamentals of Music Theory, and Applied Percussion at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Outside the university, Jordan actively teaches high school marching bands in Wisconsin. He has taught groups in both the WSMA fall circuit and the MACBDA summer circuit. As a performer, Jordan has performed with such varying groups as the Extra Crispy Brass Band, Milwaukee Bucks NBA Drumline, and Chicago Arts Orchestra. Recent recordings include "Joy" and "Life" by the artist Sleeping At Last, the premier recording of Music for 5 Musicians by Marc Mellits, and the premier recording of Festiduous Notes by Jay Kawarsky with the Chicago Arts Orchestra. Jordan performed as a member of the backing orchestra for parts of the international tours of Evanesence, Celtic Thunder, Lindsey Stirling, Hanson, and Streetlight Manifesto. Jordan holds a Bachelors of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and a Masters of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Jordan currently performs with Cream City Percussion, a percussion quartet from Milwaukee, WI; Callaloo, a jazz-world fusion percussion group; and the Four Star Brass Band, a New Orleans style brass band in Chicago. While being an active performer, Jordan stays connected to new works for percussion. He has been active in several commissions and premiers of new works for both percussion and chamber music. In 2016, Jordan premiered Architecture of a Dream by Kevin Bobo, a marimba oncerto for Wind Ensemble. Jordan has also been a part of the premiers of works by Ivan Trevino, John Henneken, Dan Forrest, and Marc Mellits.

Jordan Kamps plays Marimba One and is proud to support them as a Premier Artist. Jordan is also a Black Swamp Percussion Educator

UIC Concert Series Spring 2022 Saturday, April 30 Contemporary Music and Student Showcase L280 Theatre, 7:30pm 1044 W Harrison St. Chicago, IL

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Mission

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The School of Theatre & Music provides innovative, rigorous, and comprehensive academic and performance programs as part of our diverse, urban context. Our programs develop practical knowledge, cultural sensitivity, intellectual resourcefulness, and imaginative daring in emerging artists and scholars. We connect students to Chicago's abundant, vibrant theatre culture and to the city's dynamic jazz and classical music networks.

Thank you for being a dedicated member of our community!

At UIC, about 55% of theatre and music students receive some form of financial aid. Many more need support. Your donation will help us transform students’ lives as we prepare them for paths in the arts and other creative fields. Consider making a donation to our Theatre and Music Scholarship Fund today. https://theatreandmusic.uic.edu/donate-now