LVC Percussion Ensemble Presents Concert

Percussion Performance, April 15, 7:30 p.m., Lutz Hall

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The Lebanon Valley College Percussion Ensemble will present its 2015 Spring Concert on Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Blair Music Center’s Lutz Hall.

ANNVILLE, PA (03/27/2015)(readMedia)-- The Lebanon Valley College Percussion Ensemble will present its 2015 Spring Concert on Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Blair Music Center's Lutz Hall. The performance is free and open to the public.

The concert opens with Peter Tanner's arrangement of Felix Mendelssohn's "Hunting Song." Next is "Normandy Beach–1944" by David Gillingham: this piece pays homage to the men and woman who fought on the beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The third piece of the concert is the world premiere of First Suite for Percussion written by LVC senior Zachary Koss. Following this is a movement of Karl Jenkins' "Palladio": this string orchestra piece transfers nicely to marimba ensemble. "Lift-Off!" by Russell Peck features Lucas Jeron '17, Nicholas Kochanek '18, and Alex Rubin '17, each playing three drums. The concert concludes with a samba arrangement of Camille Saint-Saens' "Dance Macabre" as envisioned by Harry Breuer and arranged for percussion ensemble by Dan C. Armstrong.

Members of the ensemble are: Logan Clarke '18, Megan Ebling '18, Ryan Gemmell '15, Hayley Holloway '17, Tanner Homa '18, Lucas Jeron '17, Christian Johnson '18, Nicholas Kochanek'18, Zachary Koss '15, Katherine King '15, Cory Paternoster '16, Christopher Plasencia '16, Cassondra Proctor '18, Whittni Reisch '18, Alex Rubin '17, Selina Seymore '16, Lauren Spelling '16, and Faith Viray '16.

Robert Nowak, adjunct assistant professor in music, is the director of the ensemble and this performance is given in memory of Bruce Eisenhauer '04.

Nowak, LVC percussion instructor since 1988, is a well-known figure in academia as winner of the Nevelyn Knisely Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2001, and as a professional percussionist. He has played with Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Regis Philbin, Natalie Cole, and more. He currently tours with jazz guitar legend Al Martino. Nowak has also played in the national tours of Chorus Line, Dream Girls, Ragtime, The Full Monty, and Beauty and the Beast. He is Principal-Percussionist of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and Principal-Percussionist of the Reading Symphony Orchestra. Nowak also manufactures mahogany log drums, triangle holders and goose neck cymbal holders used by major symphony orchestra and music schools around the world. He is a member of the Percussive Arts Society and the Educational Team of Vic Firth, Inc.

Lebanon Valley College offers numerous public performances by students, faculty, and guests of the College throughout the semester, many of them free and open to the public. For the list of recitals this spring, visit www.lvc.edu/music/events.aspx.