UA Little Rock to Host Fall Percussion Concert Nov. 2
UA Little Rock’s Percussion Ensemble and Trojan Steel Band will host its Fall Percussion Concert on Thursday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, located in the Fine Arts building on the UA Little Rock campus.
Both the Percussion Ensemble and the Trojan Steel Band are directed by Dr. Justin Bunting, the music program’s Director of Instrumental Activities in the School of Literary and Performing Arts.
“These students have worked hard to prepare our largest program since my arrival in Fall 2019,” Bunting said. “The Percussion Ensemble portion of the concert consists of six pieces representing a wide variety of percussion repertoire. We are excited to showcase the diversity of the percussion ensemble genre, as well as the talents of our students.”
Works to be performed include “Opening Remarks,” a marimba quartet by Jeffrey Dennis Smith, “Drums of Moria” by Nathan Daughtrey, and “memory” by Evan Chapman for children’s desk bells (emulating a wind chime) and live, electronic accompaniment.
The program will also include “Masterplan” and “Fearless” by Chris Thompson, also known as Master Christopher. These two pieces are a preview of the ensemble’s March 2024 concert where Thompson’s album “Music Desegregation” will be presented with Thompson on stage as both a guest artist and soloist.
The Trojan Steel Band will close the concert with a mix of tunes including “Mary Anne,” a traditional soca tune by Roaring Lion, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” originally by Elvis Presley, and “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon.
“Who doesn’t like Steel Band music?” Bunting said. “It’s fun to listen to and, perhaps, even more fun to play. This group is musically challenging but also a way to put aside your stress and enjoy playing these beautiful instruments. You will see students rotating from one type of steel drum to another between tunes. This is because I want as diverse of a learning, and musical, experience as possible for them.”
Admission to the event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Bunting at jbunting@ualr.edu.
