UKPE Concert Features 'Ceiling Full of Stars'

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 26, 2009) - More than 250 instruments and implements will fill the stage when the University of Kentucky Percussion Ensemble (UKPE), under the direction of James Campbell, presents its fall concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

The lights will darken and the room will sparkle as composer Blake Tyson transports the audience to outer space with the performance of a his composition “A Ceiling Full of Stars”. The work describes a journey through space as seen through the eyes of a child. There is a sense of wonder and amazement. There are struggles to break free of unseen forces and there are moments of weightlessness. A sense of speed simmers beneath a slowly moving surface, depicting the awe-inspiring infinity of space.

Also featured on the program are two medleys for ragtime era xylophone featuring student soloist Logan Wells. During the 1920s the xylophone as a solo instrument reached a peak in popularity. Xylophone soloists appeared with piano accompaniment, in dance orchestras and concert bands, and were heard regularly on radio broadcasts and phonograph records. Each medley showcases the virtuoso solo capabilities of the xylophone through a number of various ragtime styles.
 

Bluegrass audiences are invited to take a "sonic safari" through a percussive jungle at a post-concert demonstration on stage immediately following the concert. Audience members will receive a guided tour of membranophones, idiophones and aerophones, as well as other instruments that go "pop," "bang" and "crash." The demonstration and concert are free and open to the public.
 

Under the direction of Campbell, the UK Percussion Ensemble has won the prestigious Percussive Arts Society Collegiate Percussion Ensemble Contest three times. They have also performed at several Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, the Bands of America Percussion Ensemble Festival, and alongside international guest artists such as Steve Houghton, John Bergamo, Michael Burritt, Bob Becker, William Cahn, Michael Spiro, Chalo Eduardo, Ney Rosauro, Liam Teague, Dick Schory, Anders Åstrand, Richie Garcia, Dave Samuels, Danny Gottlieb, Glenn Velez, Emil Richards, Joe Porcaro, Jerry Steinholtz, N. Scott Robinson and many others.

For more information on the UK Percussion Ensemble concert, contact James Campbell, at (859) 257-8187 or j.b.campbell@uky.edu.