After a hiatus in 2023, the Shippensburg University Percussion Ensemble performed for an excited audience on Tuesday, April 9, in the Luhrs Performing Arts Center.
The SU Department of Music presented the concert, which featured a variety of percussion pieces under the direction of Tyler Wales, the department’s new assistant director of bands.
The concert opened with “Torched and Wrecked” by David Skidmore. This piece was a vibraphone and marimba quartet including Wales on vibraphone. Following “Torched and Wrecked” was “Numerology” by Brian Nozny.
Including Wales, the percussion ensemble had 22 performers. The ensemble is comprised of any student willing to put forth effort whether they are a percussionist or not. With the numbers available, the ensemble could perform pieces that required up to 8 performers, or even as small as the next piece, “Tamboro.”
“Tamboro” was a drum trio piece that Wales wrote during his music education at West Chester University. The concert continued with “Angelic Voices” by David R. Gillingham and “Deck Park Tunnel” by Josh Gottry.
The audience was treated to a snare duet that sounded more like a duel in the drum quartet piece “Continuum” by Ian Briskey. The final piece of the night, “Blitz,” was another piece written by Wales. He wrote it while working in Texas but did not get to premiere it there.
After the concert, Wales said that he thought the concert went well, with all the pieces coming together and sounding great.
“My favorite part was getting to re-introduce students to percussion ensemble who either have never done it before, or who haven’t done it in a long time,” Wales said. “It was fun watching all the students really enjoy getting to put the concert on for the first time in a few years.”
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