Photo: Parker Stockford
Southern Oregon University Celebrates Make Music Day with “This Moment In Time,” performed by percussionist Terry Longshore
The Oregon Center for the Arts and The Farm at Southern Oregon University partner to participate in global celebration
of making music on the longest day of the year
Ashland, Oregon (5/25/21) — Southern Oregon University joins the Make Music Day celebration with This Moment In Time, a performance by percussionist Terry Longshore, on Monday, June 21, 2021, from 12:00-1:00pm, at the Thalden Pavilion. Make Music Day is a one-day event where free, live musical performances, opportunities to make music and other musical events take place around the world on the longest day of the year. Musical festivities in Ashland, Oregon are part of a global celebration of music making in over 1,000 cities inspired by France’s Fête de la Musique.
The Oregon Center for the Arts and The Farm at Southern Oregon University invite everyone from professional musicians to people who have never picked up an instrument to join in the global music celebration by attending This Moment In Time.
The world has endured a tragic year. Millions have died from COVID-19, and social, cultural, and economic life has been curtailed everywhere. With vaccinations accelerating, life in many places is on the road back to normal. But before life can feel truly normal, we must memorialize the devastation of the past year. Our response is an initiative called This Moment In Time.
Working with musicians and cultural partners around the world, massive gongs will appear in public spaces on June 21, the summer solstice. At noon local time, a celebrated local musician will play the gong for one uninterrupted hour, marking the incalculable loss of the past year. Along with being free and open to a live audience, these performances will be livestreamed on the Make Music Day website.
Afterwards, the public will be invited to come up to each gong and play it themselves, hearing the unfathomable mystery of the sound, experiencing the cathartic feeling of hitting something massive, and feeling the deep therapeutic vibrations in their bodies.
Around the world, gongs traditionally mark a moment in time – whether announcing Napoleon’s funeral procession, the arrival of a Chinese dignitary, the start of a sumo wrestling contest, or the serving of dinner in a British mansion. For everyone joining or witnessing this event on June 21, 2021, This Moment In Time will mark the losses of the pandemic, but also the beginning of a new era in sight.
Terry Longshore says of the event, “When I first read about This Moment In Time, I was inspired to compose an hour-long musical work for large, amplified gong, titled This Moment In Time after the event. The piece will explore the incredible sonic range of a 40” Zildjian Hand-Hammered Gong, from delicate soft textures using finger, contrabass bows, and superball mallets, to explosive crescendos that will make your hair stand on end!”
Terry Longshore is a percussionist whose genre-crossing work exhibits the artistry of the concert stage, the spontaneity of jazz, and the energy of a rock club. Based in Ashland, Oregon, he maintains an energetic career as an educator, performer, and composer. He serves as Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University, where he directs Left Edge Percussion and is Chair and Graduate Coordinator of the Music Program. He performs internationally as a soloist and ensemble member, collaborates with artists working in diverse media, and has premiered and recorded numerous works. He also champions new solo and chamber works for percussion by commissioning, organizing, and participating in consortium commissions for works from a diverse body of composers. Longshore is a Marimba One Vibe Artist, a Yamaha Performing Artist, and an artist endorser for Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drumheads, Gon Bops Percussion, and Beato Bags. He is a member of the Black Swamp Percussion Education Network, and is a trained HealthRHYTHMS facilitator.
Music has been shown to strengthen social connectivity, reduce stress, lower blood pressure, stimulate memory, and is integral to a well-rounded, enjoyable life. By participating in Make Music Day, the Oregon Center for the Arts and The Farm at Southern Oregon University encourage every form of music making.
National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) members and partners from coast to coast, including SOU will join in their communities’ celebrations of Make Music Day. June 21 is the perfect day to check out a local music store for some gear or to come together and play – whether it’s for the first time or the thousandth.
Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University
541-552-6101
oca@sou.edu
The Farm at SOU
541-552-6399
thefarm@sou.edu
About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University is 175 acres of beautifully maintained campus with outstanding facilities, occupied by a committed and well-respected faculty and talented students. SOU’s vision is to be an inclusive, sustainable university for the future. Faculty, staff and leadership collaborate to achieve those ideals, and are united in their dedication to the students who will create lives of purpose and fulfill our region’s promise. SOU enhances the economic, cultural and social well-being of southern Oregon, and helps its students learn the skills to work both independently and collaboratively, be adaptable and embrace creativity. Its diversity gives SOU both texture and strength. Students’ thoughtfully shared points of view are valued and respected.
About the Oregon Center for the Arts
The Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University serves as a creative catalyst for the mixture of students, educators, and artists from the state, the nation and the world. The beautiful Southern Oregon mountain setting provides a special place to learn, explore and train in all of the arts disciplines.
About The Farm at SOU
The Farm at Southern Oregon University is a center for sustainability. The student-led organic farm produces healthy, sustainably harvested food for the SOU community. It is a hub for education, student and faculty research and community outreach to the Rogue Valley. Projects on The Farm inspire a generation of ecologically-committed leaders who promote a vision of living and working sustainably in community and on the land.
About the Thalden Pavilion
The Thalden Pavilion is “Southern Oregon University’s Center for Outrageous Innovation.” The beautiful, unique structure features an outdoor kitchen, open classroom and an airy, welcoming performance space. The Farm at Southern Oregon University hosts programs, community events, theatrical and musical performances and other farm and sustainability related activities in the Thalden Pavilion. The Pavilion is also home to the nationally renowned Ashland World Peace Flame.
About Make Music Day:
Held annually on June 21, Make Music Day is part of the international Fête de la Musique, taking place in more than 1,000 cities across 120 countries. The daylong, musical free-for-all celebrates music in all its forms, encouraging people to band together and play in free public concerts. This year, nearly 100 U.S. cities are organizing Make Music Day celebrations, encompassing thousands of concerts nationwide. Make Music Day is presented by the NAMM Foundation, and coordinated by the Make Music Alliance. For more information, please visit www.makemusicday.org.
Photo: Parker Stockford