BRATTLEBORO-The UMass Percussion Ensemble returns to the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) on Sunday, April 13, at 7 p.m. to perform works by J.S. Bach, Franco Donatoni, Andy Akiho, and more.
Led by percussionist Ayano Kataoka, the UMass Percussion Ensemble is made up of graduate and undergraduate percussion students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
For their performance in Brattleboro, students Daniel Burroughs, Morgan Corey, Robert Grahmann, Philip Hanifin, Max Palmer, Thaman Surya, and Reuven Wolfe will perform contemporary works for marimba, vibraphone, drums, and more by additional composers Mark Applebaum, John Psathas, Juri Seo, Oliver Tarpaga, and Gordon Stout in BMAC's Wolf Kahn & Emily Mason Gallery.
"A contemporary art museum is the perfect setting for this type of musical performance," said BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld in a news release. "The physical precision and grace of the percussionists, the often surprising compositions-it makes for an incredibly satisfying artistic experience."
Kataoka, the ensemble's director, is a percussionist and marimbist known for her "dynamic and elegant technique," said organizers. A proponent of contemporary composition, Kataoka has participated in several consortiums to commission works for solo marimba or chamber ensembles from a variety of composers.
She was the first percussionist to be chosen for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Bowers Program (formerly Chamber Music Society Two), a high-profile residency for emerging artists. Kataoka is currently a professor at UMass Amherst.
Tickets can be purchased in advance ($10 general admission, free for BMAC members) at brattleboromuseum.org, at the door (subject to availability), or by calling 802-257-0124, ext. 101.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.