School of Music University of South Carolina
Dr. Scott Herring, director Dr. Bailey Seabury, director
Percussion Ensemble 2021 Percussive Arts Society International Convention
Saturday 10:00 a.m.
13 NOV.
Sagamore Ballroom, Indianapolis Convention Center
Indianapolis, IN
Message from the Dean of the University of South Carolina School of Music, Tayloe Harding At South Carolina, we believe that our charge is to prepare musicians and music lovers to change the world with their music. Many of our young people engaged in this work are percussionists, and a select collection of them--as well as our whole constellation of music faculty, students and alumni--are proud to present to you this morning in performance. We hope that your interaction with them will inspire you to devote yourself even more fully to whatever your musical or civic goal is as well! PASIC is the place for our budding professional percussion performers and pedagogues to reveal the passion for their pursuits, and the fact that this year’s edition, PASIC 2021, has honored these young musicians with this invitation to perform, brings to fruition a great commitment on behalf of percussionists everywhere to share what they love and to what they aspire with everyone who will listen. Changing the world with music requires engagements that range from basic to distinguished. Yet, like links in a chain, one great act leads to another and our UofSC Percussion Ensemble feels privileged to present this latest link in both their journey of influence and in your journey of experience at the 46th Annual PASIC Conference’s presentation. Most Sincerely, Tayloe Harding, Dean School of Music
University of South Carolina
Percussion Ensemble Showcase Concert
Percussive Arts Society National Convention Sagamore Ballroom, Indianapolis Convention Center Indianapolis, IN Nov. 12, 2021 10:00 a.m.
Program ÆTHER 6 (2021) *world premiere Under Strange Stars (2018) *PASIC premiere to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem (2016)
Michael J. Calamas
John Fitz Rogers
Andy Akiho
Drums of Winter (1993) From Earth and the Great Weather
John Luther Adams
Qi (2017) *PASIC premiere
Augusta Read Thomas
Mrityu (2021) *world premiere
Andrew Patzig
Program Notes Origin: via Latin from Greek aithēr ‘upper air,’ from the base of aithein ‘burn, shine.’ Originally the word denoted a substance believed to occupy space beyond the sphere of the moon. ÆTHER 6 consists of five major sections that can be characterized by their density. These layers may be the ascension and descension through the regions of space as it would have been perceived in ancient, medieval science practice. Each layer has its own human energy. There are moments of great excitement and joy, moments of intensity and anger, of wonder, and sometimes of unresolved loneliness. Ideally, this piece acts as a redemption story partially through the recapitulation in the final minute. For myself, the piece allows complex emotions to exist and receive the attention that they deserve, while ultimately it ends with clarity; an “ah-ha” moment. ~Michael J. Calamas
In composing Under Strange Stars, I imagined the journey of travelers who find themselves in a distant and unfamiliar land, looking up at a clear night sky they no longer recognize. My piece takes this uneasy stillness as its starting point. Precise flickers of sound punctuate the silence, eventually coalescing into music that flows and travels, only to recede at the end into a hazy and slightly troubled dream.
The work requires virtuosic precision and coordination among the performers, as musical ideas bounce among various instruments in rapid succession. Instruments also combine and blend together in unusual ways, like the blurred light from distant galaxies. Under Strange Stars was commissioned by Scott Herring and the Sympatico Percussion Group and is dedicated to them. The work premiered on the Southern Exposure New Music Series at the University of South Carolina in 2019. ~John Fitz Rogers “to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem” was originally written for chamber ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, vibes, & drums) and premiered at the 2008 Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival. The percussion octet version was commissioned by and dedicated to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, directed by Dave Hall, and premiered at the 2016 PASIC Convention. 2008 was one of the most influential and fortunate years of my life but it began hilariously tumultuous. Within the span of 48 hours, I carelessly threw myself into multiple ridiculously unfortunate NYC situations – illegally parking my car under a suspicious overpass only to find it completely trashed and inoperable after being broken into; nearly slicing my thumb off cutting carrots with an ironically dull knife; and being attacked and stabbed by a gang while cluelessly walking home from the Manhattan School of Music after a late-night practice session. This 7-minute composition depicts that particular evening expressed as a nonlinear soundtrack: escaping the attack, following the perpetrators in a taxi, trying to convince the apathetic cops to help me find the suspects, and the hospital monitor beeps of the emergency room are some of the themes in the music narration. Balancing out the NYC karma, I found an old upright piano on the same corner where I was attacked. With the help of a friendly bystander, I pushed the piano up the hill to my apartment and composed this piece on it. ~Andy Akiho Drums of Winter is the first of three drum quartets from John Luther Adams’ Earth and the Great Weather. This evening-long work is a “journey through the physical, cultural, and spiritual landscapes of the Arctic, in music, language, and sound. The text (in English, Iñupiaq, Gwich’in, and Latin) is composed of the names of places, plants, weather, and the seasons of the Arctic, as well as vocalise. Three drum quartets are interspersed throughout the work and are inspired by the elemental power of natural forces in the Arctic and by the ecstatic energy of Alaska Native drumming and dancing.” ~John Luther Adams
PROGRAM NOTE BY PAUL PELLAY With four percussionists sharing two marimbas between them, Qì has Thomas in fun-and-games mode full-on as the music tears off at dizzying speed without pause through the work’s five densely packed minutes. Thomas’s underlying image here is the notion of four interlocking gears, the players having to mesh and dovetail with the absolute precision of well-oiled gears and cogs whirring away in a fine Swiss watch. The 4-way dialogue is as rapid-fire as it is incessant, and in due course one just knows that one of Thomas’ favourite “stinger” endings is supposed to loom over the horizon. But when it comes, it blindsides the listener with the precision of a perfectly timed punchline! Qì was unveiled by the four members of Third Coast Percussion at Notre Dame University in Indiana on July 22nd 2017. Copyright © Paul Pellay
Mrityu for percussion septet Mrityu or Mrtyu, is a Sanskrit word meaning death. It is no secret that the planet is facing a grim future of mass extinction, declining health, and climatedisruption mayhems which threaten human survival because of ignorance and indecisiveness. Although numerous scientists have persistently warned people about our fate, we still haven’t grasped the urgency of the biodiversity and climate crises that lie ahead in the distant future. Mrityu is an attempt to put this future into prospective. Through its rich gamelan (Indonesian) inspired harmonies and textures, Mrityu takes the listener through three parts of human extinction. Part 1: Naïve --This section begins with a constant drone of sixteenth-notes on the marimba. As the section develops, this “drone” fades into the texture allowing dissonance (fear/worry) to creep in, eventually climaxing into destruction of all we know and love. Part 2: Abandoned --As Part 1 comes to an end, the next phase of extinction comes into play. Part 2 aims to create a sense of solitude and fear, portrayed through various extended techniques (rubbing superballs on bass drums and tam-tams). This section reflects on the silence after a cataclysmic event, such as a nuclear winter, eruption of a super volcano, or a deadly virus that wipes out over half of the population. Part 3: Bones --Bones are what to come in Part 3. Represented by the xylophone, this section starts very similar to Part 1 with its driving sixteenth-notes leading us to yet another climax of utter destruction. Humans have existed for just 200,000 years, yet our impact on the planet is so excessive that scientists around the world are calling our period in the Earth’s history the “Anthropocene” (the age of humans). The changes we have made in the last 50 years take a heavy toll on the natural world around us. It is vital that people understand the impact we have, before its too late. ~Andrew Patzig
About the UofSC Percussion Program The University of South Carolina Percussion Ensemble is committed to the continued performance of classic percussion ensemble repertoire as well as new, cutting-edge works. This group has been involved with commissioned works from Alejandro Viñao, Adam Silverman, John Psathas, Christopher Adler, Ivan Trevino, JaRon Brown, Andrew Patzig, Michael Calamas, and many others. The ensemble is also frequently joined by world-renowned guest artists and composers. The Uof SC Percussion Ensemble is a two-time winner of the International Percussion Ensemble Competition and gave its debut performance at PASIC 2012 in Austin, Texas. The Percussion program at UofSC is comprehensive, offering degrees from Bachelor’s to Doctor of Musical Arts in education, performance, and jazz studies. Graduates from the program are finding success in all areas of the field including K-12 music, military service bands, and higher education.
About the UofSC Percussion Faculty Dr. Scott Herring currently holds the position of Professor of Percussion at the University of South Carolina where he directs and oversees the UofSC Percussion Ensemble and the Palmetto Pans Steel Band. Herring’s debut solo CD, Carbon Paper and Nitrogen Ink was released on Resonator Records and features works for solo marimba and percussion ensemble. And under his direction, the Palmetto Pans Steel Band released their debut CD, The Palmetto Pans, in the fall of 2012. As a chamber musician, Herring performs with the Sympatico Percussion Group, who has performed throughout the U.S. and will also be featured at PASIC 2021. Additionally, Dr. Herring performs with UofSC Saxophone professor, Clifford Leaman, as the RoseWind Duo. The RoseWind Duo has performed extensively domestically and given international performances in France, Spain, Sweden, Scotland, and China. RoseWind’s two CD’s, Release and Devil’s Garden, Angel’s Landing, are available on Equilibrium Records. Dr. Herring has formerly served as President of the Kansas Chapter of PAS, Vice-President and President of the South Carolina chapter of PAS and is currently a member of the PAS Board of Advisors. Dr. Herring is an endorser of Sabian Cymbals, Grover Pro Percussion, Remo Drumheads, and Malletech, where he has his own signature set of marimba mallets. Dr. Bailey Seabury currently serves as the Adjunct Instructor of Percussion/Drumline Instructor at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Seabury has performed with ensembles across the U.S., including the International Contemporary Ensemble, the South Carolina Philharmonic, and with members of NEXUS. He has also performed at PASIC on multiple occasions, including Showcase Concerts in 2012 and 2019, with the Troy University Percussion Ensemble and Dr. Andy Harnsberger, respectively. He performs regularly with fellow percussionist and composer Andrew Patzig as Duo Plygas, winning Second Prize at the 2017 Great Plains International Marimba Competition. As an in-demand marching percussion arranger, his original compositions and arrangements are played by high school and collegiate ensembles throughout the Southeast and beyond. Dr. Seabury holds degrees from the University of South Carolina (DMA), the University of Central Arkansas (MM), and Troy University (BME), studying with Dr. Scott Herring, Dr. Blake Tyson, and Dr. T. Adam Blackstock, respectively. Dr. Colleen Clark is an Assistant Professor of Jazz at the University of South Carolina where she coordinates the small ensembles, conducts a big band, and teaches her drumset studio and jazz history courses. As a player, Clark has been described as “someone to watch” and “someone who will be turning heads in jazz for years to come.” Clark was invited by the ASCAP Foundation to lead her band, the Colleen Clark Collective, at the Kennedy Center. Dr. Clark has performed in prominent NYC venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland and the 55 Bar. Her debut album, consisting entirely of her original music, Introducing Colleen Clark, was produced by Gordon Stout and engineered by ten-time Grammy Award nominee/winner, Brian Dozoretz. Clark proudly joined the Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Combo on their premiere performance at the Jazz Education Network Conference in 2019. Clark will present her drumset clinic: “The Power of Your Ride Cymbal Pattern” at the Jazz Education Network Conference in Dallas, TX in 2022 and play a concert with Lioness. Clark can most recently be heard playing on SteepleChase record #900, Allegra Levy’s Lose My Number: Allegra Levy Sings John McNeil. Dr. Clark is the only woman and drummer to earn a doctoral degree in jazz from the University of North Texas. She is proud to join the Zildjian, Vic Firth and Mono families as an official endorser of their products.
Personnel William Connor Anderson Stafford, VA
Cody Campen Lexington, SC
Elijah Caliguri Columbia, SC
Tyler Jefferson Blythewood, SC
Duke Kennedy Woodstock, GA
Zachary Kusztos Spartanburg, SC
Ian Mahaffey Myrtle Beach, SC
Aidan McCarthy Blythewood, SC
Daniel Myers Concord, NC
Andrew Patzig Fort Walton Beach, FL
Marshall Robinson North Augusta, SC
Julia Ross Syracuse, NY
Sam Sherer Dickinson, ND
Gabriel Sullivan Pawley’s Island, SC
Anna Thamasett Ashburn, VA
Owen Wetterhan Vienna, VA
Yusen Yang Grand Forks, ND
Jacob Zirbel Seneca, SC
The UofSC Percussion Ensemble would like to offer special thanks to: Dr. C. Tayloe Harding, Dean, University of South Carolina School of Music Dr. Cormac Cannon, Director of Bands, University of South Carolina Malletech Instruments and Mallets Sabian Cymbals Grover Pro Percussion Dan McGuire, Science Hill High School Josh Torres, Center Grove High School
School of Music University of South Carolina Columbia, South Carolina 29208 http://www.music.sc.edu/ea/percussion/index.html