photo credit: Barbara Johnson
PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
Contact: Christina Madsen, (501) 852-2659; christinam@uca.edu
Dr. Blake Tyson, (501) 450-5263; btyson@uca.edu.
September 17, 2015
THIRD COAST PERCUSSION TO VISIT UCA AS ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
By Elizabeth Sandoval
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
CONWAY — As part of its residency at the University of Central Arkansas, Third Coast Percussion will be in concert on Friday, Oct. 2, in the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall.
The event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.
Dr. Blake Tyson, professor of music and the faculty sponsor for the residency, said the concert would appeal to all ages because the group will be “constantly hitting, scraping and shaking instruments like bells, gongs, toms, marimbas, tin cans, djembes and hundreds of other things that make fantastic sounds. Not only is it great to listen to, it’s a lot of fun to watch.”
Called “vibrant” and “superb” by The New Yorker and “sonically spectacular” by the Chicago Tribune, Third Coast Percussion’s program is entitled Points of Contact. From delicate chamber music on Japanese prayer bowls to the incomparable power of beating drums, this program has it all. It will feature instruments from around the world and music by some of the greatest composers of the last 100 years.
“Third Coast Percussion sets a great example for our students,” Tyson said. “They are all fantastic musicians who have a thoughtful and creative approach to both performing and teaching. The success of the ensemble is due to years of very hard work, and I can’t wait for them to share their music, and their experiences, with our students.”
Founded in 2005, Third Coast Percussion has performed hundreds of concerts across the country, presents an annual concert season at home in Chicago, teaches musicians of all ages and experience levels, and has commissioned dozens of new works by composers including Glenn Kotche, Chris Cerrone, Donnacha Dennehy, Timo Andres, David T. Little, Ted Hearne, and Augusta Read Thomas. Third Coast Percussion is the Ensemble-in-Residence at the University of Notre Dame.
The ensemble will provide a public presentation on entrepreneurship Thursday, Oct. 1, at 1:40 p.m. They will also present masterclasses for UCA music students on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 2, at 1 p.m. in the Snow Fine Arts Recital Hall. On Saturday, Oct. 3, Third Coast Percussion will be joined by UCA music students for a performance of “In C” by composer Terry Riley at 11 a.m. in Simon Park.
For more information about the residency, contact Tyson at (501) 450-5263 or btyson@uca.edu.
The Artist in Residence program is funded by UCA’s arts fee and is administered by the College of Fine Arts and Communication. For more information about the program, call the Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication, at (501) 450-3293 or e-mail jdmiller@uca.edu.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Communication, Mass Communication and Theatre, Music and Writing. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 450-3293.
-30-
