(Posted April 21, 2015)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The Juniata College Percussion Ensemble will tackle a classical music classic, "The William Tell Overture," more popularly known as the theme from "The Lone Ranger," in its spring concert at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 23, in Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts on the Juniata campus.

Tickets are $5 for adults and free for those under age 18 or Juniata students with ID. The Concert Band is directed by James Latten, professor of music at Juniata College.

The Percussion Ensemble spring concert is at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 23, in Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts on the Juniata campus.

The concert will open with the full Percussion Ensemble, playing "Tusk," a call-and-response song based on various elements in African music written by David Jarvis. Next, the group will perform "Tinman," which is inspired not by the "Wizard of Oz," but by the fact some of the composition is played on trashcan lids. The song "Mucho Caliente," is by American composer Murray Houllif, who was a member of the Long Island Symphony and is a longtime educator.

The novelty percussion group Steely Pan and the PVCs will next play a medley of familiar classics on their unique instruments. Steely Pan uses percussion instruments made from varying lengths of PVC plumbing pipe.

The group will play "Under the Sea," from"The Little Mermaid," followed by "Walkin' on the Sun," recorded originally by Smash Mouth. "Kiss the Girl," another song from "The Little Mermaid," will be next, transitioning to the Latino classic "La Bamba," recorded for hits in versions by Ritchie Valens and Los Lobos. The Steely Pan section of the concert will end with "Limbo," arranged by Dave Beery, and "Conga," arranged by Brad Shores.

The entire Percussion Ensemble returns to play "The William Tell Overture," by Gioacchino Rossini, with an arrangement by Murray Houllif.

Next the college's Keyboard Percussion Choir will play "La Fille Aux Cheveaux de Lin (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair)," by Claude Debussy, and "Three Concert Pieces for Eight Hands on Two Marimbas," a self-described song written by Earl Hatch.

A relatively new group, the World Percussion Lab, will perform "Brazilian Percussion Techniques."

The concert finale will be the entire percission ensemble platying "Led Zeppelin Medley," featuring drum solos originated by Led Zeppelin drummer John Henry Bonham.

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