(Posted November 21, 2011)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Mixing musical genres with the speed of a Buddy Rich drum solo, the Juniata College Percussion Ensembles will perform selections spanning pop, classical and holiday music at a concert at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 1, at Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts on the Juniata campus.

Tickets are $3 at the door for adults and admission is free for all Juniata students and any student under age 18. The percussion ensembles are directed by James Latten, associate professor of music at Juniata.
The concert will open with a performance by Steely Pan and the PVCs, a group that plays homemade musical contraptions made from large plumbing pipes of differing lengths. The group will play "Under the Boardwalk," a tune made famous by The Drifters, "Don't Worry, Be Happy," which was a huge hit for jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin, and the "Super Mario Brothers Theme."

The Keyboard Percussion Choir will perform the "Allegro," from George Frideric Handel's "Water Music."


The Keyboard Percussion Choir will perform the "Allegro," from George Frideric Handel's "Water Music." The group will then transition to holiday music with the selections, "Silent Night" and "Angels We Have Heard on High."

The Percussion Ensemble will close out the concert starting with "Study in 5/8" by Mitchell Peters, which uses odd time signatures to complement different instruments. Next the group will play "Berceuse," by Jay Dawson. A berceuse is a musical composition in 6/8 time that resembles a lullaby. Fans of 1960s television will recognize the next piece, Henry Mancini's percussion-heavy "Theme from Peter Gunn." The last selection will be "Sin Timbal," by Poncho Sanchez.

The members of the Percussion Ensemble are as follows:

John Bogue, a junior from East Berlin, Pa.; Maggie Burkett, a sophomore from Granville, Ohio; Amanda Durofchalk, a junior from Wernersville, Pa.; Stephen Estright, a sophomore from Hollidaysburg, Pa.; Alexis Haddon, a freshman from Franklin, Pa.; Nicole Kiss, a sophomore from Huntingdon, Pa.; Reinaldo Liem, a sophomore international student from Indonesia; Seabury NeuCollins, a senior from Solon, Iowa; Katya Rebman, a sophomore from Elizabethtown, Pa.; Silas Robinson, a freshman from Sinking Spring, Pa.; Jacqueline Swain, a sophomore from Hampstead, Md.; and Laura Vannucci, a freshman from New Fairfield, Conn.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.