UK Happenings

James Campbell, Anders Astrand, Lexington Chamber Chorale to Transport Audiences to 'Land of the Midnight Sun'

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 26, 2016) — The Lexington Chamber Chorale joins forces with University of Kentucky’s own Director of Percussion Studies James Campbell and Swedish percussionist Anders Åstrand for "Music in the Land of the Midnight Sun." The concert featuring Scandinavian choral works and improvisatory music begins 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at Second Presbyterian Church.

The collaboration with Campbell and solo percussionist Åstrand, the third concert in Lexington Chamber Chorale's 25th anniversary season, hopes to take audiences "on a musical journey,” with the program's “continuous music, creating an atmosphere rarely experienced in daily, busy, time-driven and fragmented lives,” all led by Gary L. Anderson, Lexington Chamber Chorale founding director and conductor.

“One of the most exciting concerts of our past 25 seasons was the 2010 'Music in the Land of the Midnight Sun' event. It was musically satisfying and it continued to have audience raves for a long, long time,” Anderson said. The 2010 program inspired Anderson to invite Åstrand back to the Bluegrass to collaborate with Campbell for a reprise program of Scandinavian choral works and improvisatory music.

Campbell, Provost’s Distinguished Service Professor at the UK School of Music, is responsible for much of the modern look and sound of today’s drum corps percussion ensembles. Under Campbell’s direction, the UK Percussion Ensemble has won the prestigious Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Collegiate Percussion Ensemble Contest five times, the only collegiate group to have achieved that honor. Campbell’s other university groups, including the UK Indoor Drum Line, have received the highest recognition in their fields.

A current Yamaha Performing Artist, Campbell has toured extensively throughout North and Central America, Europe and Asia. Last fall he was presented with the 2015 Yamaha Legacy Award, which is presented annually to an individual considered to be legendary in their effect on music education. 

As a mallet specialist, Åstrand regularly performs and gives clinics throughout the U.S., Latin America, Australia and Europe. With his percussion ensemble, Global Percussion Network, he has toured extensively in Sweden, Europe, the U.S. and South Korea. He focuses on melodic and rhythmical improvisation, an essential feature also in his compositions. Åstrand has been commissioned to compose for brass quintets, saxophone quartet, choirs and big band.

Also, joining the celebrated percussionists for this performance will be UK doctoral student Matthew Geiger, from Indianapolis, Indiana. Dedicated to a versatile musical approach, Geiger hopes to continue to champion both new and canonic works through continued study, performance, teaching and research. His recent work has focused on solo vibraphone, commissioning new works, performing as a soloist in a residency in Inner Mongolia, performing alongside Yousif Sheronick at PASIC, as well as being named the winner of the 2013 PASIC Solo Vibraphone Competition. He has recorded for the Naxos label, including performing as percussionist and timpanist on the Grammy-nominated recording of Darius Milhaud’s "L’Orestie d’Eschyle."

The Lexington Chamber Chorale brings a rich choral répertoire to Central Kentucky audiences. The chorale has enjoyed celebrating the art of choral singing through performing interesting and challenging pieces of music. Chamber Chorale concerts also aim to enrich the cultural community through creative collaborations with guest artists and musicians.

Single tickets to "Music in the Land of the Midnight Sun" are $10 for students with valid school ID, $15 for individuals in groups of six or more, and $20 for adults and seniors on the Lexington Chamber Chorale website, www.lexingtonchamberchorale.org

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MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu