Percussion Festival & Concert @ SUU (CC: April 15 - 16)

SUU’S PERCUSSION FESTIVAL AND CONCERT



WHAT: When it comes to feeling the beat in southern Utah, then the place to be is SUU’s Department of Music for the annual Percussion Festival and Concert. The Festival kicks off on Friday, April 15, and culminates with a pulsating Concert on Saturday evening, April 16. Under the direction of SUU’s Dr. Lynn Vartan, the Percussion Festival features guest artists who will mentor both SUU and local high school percussion students in various technique and performance workshops and classes.



WHO: Southern Utah University, College of Performing and Visual Arts,

Music Department



WHEN: April 15 & 16, 2011



TIME: Percussion Festival: Fri., Apr. 15, & Sat. Apr. 16, 2011

Percussion Concert, Sat., Apr. 16 at 7:30pm



WHERE: All events: Thorley Recital Hall, Music Building, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT



TICKETS: Phone: Arts Hotline: (435) 865-8800 or visit: www.suu.edu/arts



PRICES: Free and the General Public is encouraged to attend.





SUU’S PERCUSSION FESTIVAL AND CONCERT

APRIL 15 & 16, 2011



Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: When it comes to feeling the beat in southern Utah, then the place to be is Southern Utah University’s Department of Music for the annual Percussion Festival and Concert. The Festival kicks off on Friday, April 15 and culminates with a pulsating Concert on Saturday evening, April 16. Under the direction of SUU’s Dr. Lynn Vartan, the Percussion Festival features guest artists who will mentor both SUU and local high school percussion students in various technique and performance workshops and classes. All workshops and the concert, which begins at 7:30pm on Saturday, April 16, will take place at Thorley Recital Hall located on campus in the Music Building. All events are free and opened to the general public.

The 2011 Percussion Festival will feature guest artists Brad Dutz and Chris Wabich Duo and Tyler Braun and the Dibone Rhythm Troupe. The guest artists will participate in a series of interactive workshops and master classes which give them the opportunity to work directly with the students. All the guest artists will perform in Saturday’s evening’s concert with Dr. Vartan and the SUU Percussion Ensemble.

During his career, Brad Dutz has been busy, playing mallets and hand percussion on over 220 sessions, appearing on a countless number of studio sessions during the past 20 years, and leading a dozen CDs of his own. He has played many instruments in a countless number of settings. In addition to his work on television and films[Family Guy, Star Trek, Next Generation; American Dad] he has recorded with a dizzying array of musical giants: Scott Henderson and Tribal Tech, Steve Smith and Vital Information, Alanis Morrissette, Kim Richmond's big band, Willie Nelson, Kiss, David Benoit, Rick Braun, Grant Geissman, Jeff Berlin, Lindsey Buckingham, Leo Kottke, Ricki Lee Jones, Kevyn Lettau, Handsonsemble, Michael Wolff, Vinny Golia (including the recent Vinny Golia: The Duets [2009]and performing in concerts with the Vinny Golia Large Ensemble), Nels Cline, Bill Cunliffe, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band and The Other Three (a trio with Kim Richmond and John Furno). Ranging from several genres of jazz and fusion to pop, rock and unclassifiable music, Dutz has added color, personality, and musicianship, with his playing on vibes, marimba, congas, berimbau, bata, bodhran, bones, pandiero, djembe, kanjira, doumbec, riq, tabla and many other percussion instruments. As an educator, Dutz has taught hand percussion at Cal State Long Beach since 1997. He has conducted dozens of clinics at colleges and music stores worldwide on a variety of topics (including studio work, producing one's own CD and freelancing in the music industry) and in 1995 was featured on four videotapes (since reissued on DVD) that taught newcomers about playing hand percussion.



Over the past 30 years Chris Wabich has developed a unique style playing drums and percussion. He combines traditional rhythms and authentic world influences with an updated jazz vocabulary. Wabich has received his music degrees from different universities, including a MM from CSU Long Beach. He also has studied under Balkan master drummer Salif Ali (Ivo Paposov) and was awarded the NFAA ARTS award in both jazz and classical categories in 1988. Wabich has been a featured artist with the Percussive Arts Society, teaching workshops at the University of Montana, Iowa, Arizona, California, North Carolina, and CSU Summer Arts Workshops. He has performed and recorded with such artists as Ludicris, Sting, Lalo Shifrin, Alex Acuna, and many others. He also has player for such TV shows as "Better Homes & Gardens", "Malcom In the Middle", "MTV music awards" and "American Idol" to name a few. He is endorsed by Cadeson Drums & Percussion Company.



Tyler Braun is the leader of the Dibone Rhythm Troupe. Current members are: Terry Billington, Mike Petree and Sarah Braun. Tyler is happiest sitting behind a drum and grooving with his friends. He's studied some, he's performed some and taught some. He loves when the rhythm is tight and funky, and everyone is smiling and moving to the beat.



Percussionist Dr. Lynn Vartan performs regularly in addition to teaching at SUU. She is percussionist for Southwest Chamber Music, two-time Grammy® nominee in the “Best Classical Album of the Year” and “Best Small Ensemble with or without a conductor” categories. Vartan has been featured on the Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella Series, the Different Trains Series and has soloed with the Music and the Court series in Pasadena, California, and the Sierra Wind Symphony. She is currently producing two solo albums which will be released next year. Vartan received her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Southern California with special honors and recognition. She teaches percussion at Southern Utah University.



The Percussion Festival and Concert provides personal interaction and communication between guest musicians and music students from SUU as well as high school students through master classes and workshops. The weekend’s highlight will be the Percussion Concert featuring the Tyler Braun and the DiBone Rhythm Troupe, the Brad Dutz and Chris Wabich Duo, Dr. Lynn Vartan and the SUU Percussion Ensemble. For more information on the SUU College of Performing and Visual Arts events, please call the Arts Hotline at (435) 865-8800, or visit www.suu.edu/arts.



ABOUT THE COLLEGE

The Southern Utah University College of Performing and Visual Arts is comprised of nationally accredited departments of Art and Design, Music, Theatre Arts and Dance, as well as a graduate program in Arts Administration. The College offers 16 different degree areas, including liberal arts Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees; professional Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Fine Arts in art and theatre degrees; and a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration degree. More than 60 full- and part-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 550 majors in the College. Over 1100 students enroll each year in over 195 arts classes on the SUU campus. The College presents 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year. The College’s affiliate organizations include the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, American Folk Ballet, Utah Shakespeare Festival, the performance group Acclamation, and the SUU Ballroom Dance Company. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, contact the Office of the Dean (435) 865-8561, or by e-mail at cpvamktg@suu.edu.