University News
Steel Band Concert April 27
April 20, 2012
MACOMB, IL - -Western Illinois University's Steel Band, led by Director of Percussion Studies Rick Kurasz, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 27 in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) Recital Hall.
The Steel Band will be joined by guest artists Ricardo Flores, associate professor of percussion at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and Christopher Hanning, West Chester University of Pennsylvania associate professor of percussion. The program will include: "Take a Wine" and "Ray's Medley" by Ray Holman; "Sing a Song of Song" by Kenny Garrett; "Soca Tatie" by Byron Lee; "Roundabout Ways" by Tom Miller; "El Montuno" by Pierre Beluse; "Suburban Baião" by Kurasz; "Soul Sauce" by Chano Pozo; "Betty's Eyes" by Don Prorak; "Etude #6" by Philip Glass; "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars; and "Confusion Reggae" by Cliff Alexis.
Flores has performed with numerous groups and artists, including the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, the Jack Shantz Jazz Unit, the Akron (OH) Symphony, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, the Naples Philharmonic, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett and Dianne Shurr. He serves as the principal percussionist of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony and the Sinfonia da Camera. He has presented concerts, clinics and master classes worldwide, including the Eastman School of Music, The Florida State University, the Tri-C Jazz Festival in Cleveland, the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference in Toronto, the Sichuan and the Wuhan Conservatories and the Second Dalian International Broadcasting Music Festival (China), the 2nd International Congress of Percussion and the Crossdrumming Festival in Jelenia Gora and Warsaw, Poland and the Fourth Patagonian Percussion Festival in Argentina. In 2006, he performed on the Carnegie Hall stage as a soloist with the University of Illinois Wind Symphony.
Hanning is a recording artist for NFL Films and performs with the Peter Paulsen Quintet, the Bach Festival Orchestra and Philadelphia's contemporary music ensemble Relâche. His work for NFL Films is heard every Super Bowl when the Lombardi trophy is presented. His compositions have earned him numerous awards, including several Emmys. He has performed in concerts throughout Europe and the United States at prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Royal Albert Hall in London. He has recorded numerous CDs with Relâche, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, David Liebman and the Manhattan Saxophone Quartet. He also chairs the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Contest and Audition Procedure Committee and serves on the PAS Board of Directors.
The concert is open free to the public. For more information, contact the COFAC Recital Hall office, (309) 298-1843.
Western's Steel Band includes 26 musicians. They are listed by Illinois county and hometown, then by state
ILLINOIS
BOONE COUNTY
BELVIDERE (61008)- Mallory Huntington, senior, music therapy
CARROLL COUNTY
SAVANNA (61074)- Emily Rogers, freshman, music education; Rebecca Titus, junior, music education
COOK COUNTY
BURBANK (60459)- Jessica Sharp, freshman, music therapy
HICKORY HILLS (60457)- Angelo Makropoulos, senior, music education
ORLAND PARK (60462)-Nick Grimberg, senior, music education
DUPAGE COUNTY
DOWNERS GROVE (60516)- Laura Meizis, senior, recreation, park and tourism administration with a music minor
LOMBARD (60148)- Steve Wilcer, music, senior
NAPERVILLE (60565)- Sam Page, senior, music business; Jon Velez, senior, music business
FULTON COUNTY
FARMINGTON (61531)- Kristin Wallace, senior, anthropology
TABLE GROVE (61482)- Sadie Luper, graduate student, alumna (B.S. Business, 2004)
HENRY COUNTY
COLONA (61241)- Jose Rangel, sophomore, music education
GENESEO (61254)- Stephanie Martin, sophomore, broadcasting, with a music minor
KENDALL COUNTY
MILLINGTON (61008)- David Hellyer, freshman, music education
MCDONOUGH COUNTY
MACOMB (61455)- Matt Chenoweth, freshman, music
PEORIA COUNTY
CHILLICOTHE (61523)- Jonathan Wilcoxen, senior, music therapy
PEORIA (61615)- Katie Stieghorst, sophomore, music business
ROCK ISLAND COUNTY
EAST MOLINE (61244)- Jessica McDonough, junior, communication, with a music business minor
MOLINE (61265)- Steven Olsen, sophomore, music education
SANGAMON COUNTY
RIVERTON (62561)- Chris Kasper, senior, music business
SPRINGFIELD (62712)- Nigel Range, freshman, music education
OUT OF STATE
IOWA
LECLAIRE- Kaitlin Gimm, sophomore, music education
MISSOURI
MACON- Sam McDowell, sophomore, music therapy
HILLSBORO- Deven Merritt, sophomore, law enforcement and justice administration
WISCONSIN
EAGLE- Adam Brostowitz, senior, music
Posted By: Sarah Tomkinson (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
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