The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Percussion Ensemble will present a concert Monday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Hall of the Arts and Communication Center. The performance, under the direction of UWO Music Department Chair Alison Shaw, will feature renowned Ugandan musician Haruna Walusimbi.
Professor Mark Stone, of Oakland University in Michigan, will present music for embaire from the Nakibembe Xylophone Group of Busoga, Uganda. Embaire, the largest xylophone in Africa, is played communally with musicians surrounding the instrument laid over an open pit in the ground.
“The UWO embaire players will work with Haruna Walusimbi to enhance their performance of traditional Busoga compositions and leave the audience with an appreciation of the embaire xylophone and its related traditions as well as a heightened understanding of Busoga music culture,” Shaw said.
The percussion concert also will include the world-premiere of When Galaxies Collide by UWO Distinguished Rosebush Professor and composer Edward Martin.
Martin created the new work for the ensemble with the support of a Faculty Development Grant in 2018.
“The piece uses unique textures and colors to create a description of imagined sounds in the life of the universe,” Shaw said. “The opportunity to premier a brand new musical composition is a great honor for the students.”
Tickets (ranging from $3 to $10) for the Nov. 11 concert can be purchased with cash 30 to 45 minutes prior to the performance.
The following week, the UWO Embaire ensemble travels to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. The ensemble, made up of UWO students and faculty, will perform with the Ohio University and Oakland University as well as Walusimbi as the featured artist.
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