The UTM Department of Music held a percussion ensemble performance Monday night at 8 p.m. in the Harriet Fulton Theatre.

Nancy Matheson directed the ensemble and she was assisted by Tim Fritz. The performance started out with Chromatic Fantasy which was written by Scott Roberts. This song was brought to life by twelve performers playing various percussion instruments from vibraphones to xylophones. The piece was very uplifting.

The second song was called Crown of Thorns written by David Maslanka. It was performed by eight performers and it lasted about ten minutes.

“This was my favorite song because you can get a lot more out of it than just the music because it is a very spiritual piece,” said performer Sarah Roberts, a freshman music major from Martin.

“I chose ‘Crown of Thorns’ because it was a gorgeous and magnificent piece,” said conductor Tim Fritz, who also played the marimba in this song.

The third song was Soy Buen Tuxtleco which was arranged by Lawrence Kaptain. This song involved six performers. The song sounded much like steel drums and with the addition of the moroccas, it produced the feeling of being in an island paradise.

The fourth song was called Triplets, written by George Hamilton Green and arranged by Bob Becker. This song was performed by seven musicians, including Christopher A. Baker on the xylophone.

“Triplets sounded like an introductory song to a variety hour comedy show or something like that. It almost made me feel like I was in a cartoon,” said Bethany Roberts, a senior animal science major from Martin.

The final song of the ensemble was Just Kiddin’ and it was written by Michael Camilo and arranged by Dave Brochocki. This song featured all 18 performers and was very upbeat and energetic.

The UTM Percussion Ensemble will also perform at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, November 13, in Nashville. The UTM percussion ensemble was one of only a few ensembles selected to perform before a group of some of the world’s best percussionists.