The UTM Percussion Ensemble, featuring the premiere of the UTM Steel Band, gave an energetic performance on Sunday, Nov. 20 in the Harriet Fulton Theater. The group was directed by Julie Hill, along with assistant conductors Adrian Baker and Benjamin Martin, who were also performers.

The show featured some of the works of Michael Aukofer, a rising young composer who is quickly gaining national attention for his unique percussion pieces. “Fantasy of the Plains”, “The Prayer”, and “Identity Crisis” were performed by the ensemble, and these pieces often utilized a variety of instruments and sounds to create ethereal, often eerie sounds. Identity Crisis especially made use of these unique sounds, as the composer juxtaposed very different musical ideas. In addition to more traditional percussion instruments such as cymbals and xylophones, these pieces contained a variety of odd sounds from an assortment of clanks to bird whistling and gargling noises.

In addition to the unique and unconventional sounds of the Aukofer pieces, the group also performed “Ritmica No. 5 and No. 6” by Amadeo Roldan, which was among the first pieces ever written exclusively for a percussion ensemble. This piece featured several traditional Caribbean and African rhythm instruments which could be considered unusual. These included the quijada, a donkey’s jawbone which was struck to produce the sound made by the teeth rattling.

The group also performed many pieces with a Caribbean-style feel.

Several of these were steel drum pieces, which utilized a variety of sounds from the instruments. Several of the other pieces in the show also featured Latin and island sounds. Also featured in some of these selections was the Jamaica Me Happy Steel Band, a subgroup of the percussion ensemble which consists of members Mark Fairless, Richard Henson, Benjamin Martin, Bryan Scott, and Scottie Somerville. This group often travels and is able to perform in a variety of settings where it is often impractical to bring the larger group with its many pieces of equipment. Much of the steel drum equipment is relatively new to UTM, and came on a permanent loan basis from the University of Kentucky, according to director Julie Hill. The Percussion Ensemble hopes to continue to utilize such Latin sounds and rhythms, and is planning a trip to Brazil in June 2006 in order to observe the culture firsthand.

Overall, the Percussion Ensemble had the audience feeling the beat, and the warm temperature of the auditorium added to the island atmosphere for some. “The performance was pretty cool, in spite of the heat,” joked Joseph Caldwell, a freshman Business major from Rives, Tenn.

Upcoming events for UTM percussion include a Latin Percussion Workshop with Kenneth Metzker on November 30th, which allows the opportunity to come and learn a little more about actual performance. Admission is $10, and it is reccomended than participants bring their own drum. For more details about this event and other upcoming musical performances, contact the UTM music department at 881-7402 or check out the website at www.utm.edu/music.