In a performance that was nothing short of electric, Clemson University’s percussion ensemble, steel band program and drumline performed their fall concert at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 7.
The evening began with the Clemson percussion ensemble, which opened the night with Matthew Gilliot’s “Onsra.” The piece was evocative of a waterfall, cascading melodies playing off between marimbas and vibraphones, punctuated by the force of bass drums and timpanis.
Percussion director Paul Buyer introduced the ensemble before their next piece, James Vilseck’s “Starfall.” The piece was meant to “explore a sense of wonder at the beauty of the stars,” Buyer said, and it did just that, switching between short staccato segments and a more traditional melody on the mallets.
The group’s most unique piece was Justin Bunting’s “Daily Grind,” a controlled chaos of world instruments from Africa, India and beyond, humorously punctuated with a melody of desk bells reportedly ordered off Amazon.
Finally, Chuck Ricotta’s “Sofapilla” provided an energetic conclusion with the ensemble’s full instrumentation.
The steel band performed next, beginning with Carolyn Trowbridge’s “Thank You for the Memories, Thank You for the Laughs.” Sydney Greer, a junior biochemistry and genetics double major playing steel pans, headlined the piece. Her calypso-esque melody took center stage, a pleasure to listen to.
“Once we started playing,” Greer said, “the nerves all went away, and I was able to simply have fun playing with the group.”
Boogsie Sharpe’s “Hard Times” continued the easy listening trend. Jason Birsic, a senior mechanical engineering major, provided a steady bassline that grounded the piece against the pan’s energetic melody.
Dave Gerhart’s “PanSon” and Kees Dieffenthaller’s “Fuh Spite” highlighted the steel band’s different instruments, foregrounding the drum kit and steel drums, respectively. Both showcased the students’ skills and evidenced their hours of practice.
The steel band concluded with a Clemson favorite, the well-known “Tiger Rag,” this time with a calypso-reggae twist. The piece had the band jumping along as they played, and Birsic spun in circles like a madman as he played bass.
After a brief intermission, director Lance Curry introduced the Clemson drumline. Their performance was akin to the fusion of a percussion piece and an interpretive dance, with the group members swaying, jumping and dancing to their music.
Curry provided the scores for the first three drumline pieces: “Bacon Rules,” “Cadence Sequence” and “Game Time,” all three of which were electric displays of the drumline’s enthusiasm and skill.
The final piece, “Go Go Get’em Get’em,” was a breakdown of the drumline section by section, with the snares, quads, bass drums and cymbals each taking turns to show off their skills.
The Clemson music department’s next performance is their Tigeroar and TakeNote acapella concert on Friday, Dec. 15.
