The Ohio State Percussion Ensemble will be performing Drums Downtown VII at the Capitol Theatre on Feb. 19 and 20. The event, titled “Traditions,” will be a comprehensive look at the history and evolution of percussion music.
Under the direction of Susan Powell and Joseph Krygier from the OSU Percussion Studio, the events will feature student percussionists collaborating with members of the OSU department of dance. Among the other highlights are performances by the OSU Fifes and Drums, vibraphonist Anders Astrand and the duet of Powell and Krygier.
“We always like to try and come up with a theme of sorts for this event — something that will blend the entire program together,” said Powell, associate professor and director of percussion studies at OSU. “This year, we knew we wanted to feature the OSU Fifes and Drums, which started us thinking along the lines of a historical timeline.”
An annual event, Drums Downtown has become one of the most popular shows for the OSU music department, performing in front of sold-out crowds each of the past four years.
“The performance is a bigger deal this year,” said senior percussionist Carson Moody. “Even though the preparation has been consistent with the other Drums Downtown shows, there’s been more work involved in this one. It’s a much bigger deal now.”
Drums Downtown VII will be divided into four segments covering different aspects of percussion.
Also featured is Christopher Adler’s 2002 composition, “Signals Intelligence,” which will be accompanied with a 3-D animation by Ben Schroeder from the OSU Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design.
The final performance will focus on the genre of jazz percussion and will feature vibraphone soloist Anders Astrand from Sweden, who will be joined by “The Pendulum Duo” of Powell and Krygier.
Before each of the two concerts there will be a discussion conducted by Powell explaining the history and development of the Drums
Downtown series, as well as details about this year’s event. Powell will be joined by choreographers and percussion students to speak about their experiences with Drums Downtown.
“There is definitely more stress involved for this show compared to other concerts I’ve done,” said percussionist Andy Thierauf, a graduate student who will be performing in his first Drums Downtown show. “It’s more professional since we’ll be playing downtown and not just at the school.”
After Friday’s performance, audience members will be able to take part in a question and answer session with performers and choreographers.
Both performances will begin at 8 p.m. with the pre-concert discussions beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $17 for general admission and $12 for students and senior citizens. They can be purchased through CAPA or ticketmaster.com.
