Percussion ensembles stage concert in the Mitchell

The College of St. Scholastica Percussion Ensembles will stage a spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30, in the Mitchell Auditorium on campus. There is no admission charge and the public is encouraged to attend.

The Drum Line, Hand Drum Ensemble, and new Steel Band, under the direction of music instructor Jeremy Craycraft, will perform a wide variety of musical styles and selections that will introduce the Twin Ports region to the ever-growing popularity of percussion music from world and marching genres.

The Drum Line will present a choreographed stage piece that is full of energy and movement. The Hand Drum Ensemble will perform several traditional West African tunes on the djembe and dunun drums along with a new, contemporary composition by Craycraft based on the College's guiding principle of Cor et Anima (Heart and Soul).

In addition, audiences will be able to hear the fascinating sound of the steel drum as the College debuts its new Steel Band.

"Known throughout the world as the ‘pan,' these artisan-crafted drums made from steel barrels will be unlike anything else heard in the Twin Ports," said Craycraft. "Originating on the island of Trinidad during the 1930s-1940s, the pan is an acoustic phenomenon with an unmatched sound and surprisingly beautiful timbre."

For more information contact Craycraft at (218) 723-7021 or jcraycra@css.edu.