Sō Percussion comes to Southern Oregon University for a 3-day residency, sponsored by Chamber Music Concerts, Britt Music & Arts Festival, and the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University!
For twenty years and counting, Sō Percussion has redefined chamber music for the 21st century through an “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam” (The New Yorker). They are celebrated by audiences and presenters for a dazzling range of work: for live performances in which “telepathic powers of communication” (The New York Times) bring to life the vibrant percussion repertoire; for an extravagant array of collaborations in classical music, pop, indie rock, contemporary dance, and theater; and for their work in education and community, creating opportunities and platforms for music and artists that explore the immense possibility of art in our time.
Residency schedule:
Thursday, January 27, 7:30pm
The Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University together with Britt Music & Arts Festival Education, and Chamber Music Concerts will host a free community outreach concert on Thursday, January 27th at 7:30pm at the SOU Music Recital Hall. Also livestreamed for free at the Oregon Center for the Arts YouTube Channel!
The concert will feature Sō Percussion in a collaborative, organic music-making experience that will include SOU’s Left Edge Percussion, the SOU Percussion Ensemble, Southern Oregon University Music Students, and Southern Oregon High School Percussionists - all on one stage for a mega-performance that will be sure to be invigorating for the audience.
The community outreach concert is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations required. Per SOU’s policy, vaccination proof, or negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the performance is required for all attendees (no home tests accepted). Masks required, no intermission. Seating is first come, first seated.
The evening will feature Jason Treuting’s Amid the Noise – which began as a soundtrack, morphed into Sō Percussion’s third album and then into a flexible set of live music. Now it is a communal music-making project that can occur with a flexible number of musicians in almost any combination.
Treuting’s inspiration for this performance comes from the Max Ehrmann’s 1927 poem Desiderata (in Latin meaning “things desired”). The opening line “go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence” offers a simple credo for life that encourages the reader to speak the truth, be happy, and enjoy life.
“The musical ideas in Amid the Noise are abstract: drones, melodies, rhythms, textures, patterns. Originally, Sō Percussion orchestrated them on the instruments we had in our studio, but we’ve since discovered that accordion, organ, or tuba might play a satisfying drone as well as bowed vibraphone! Like Terry Riley’s In C, this work maintains its identity and integrity even through wildly different realizations.
This modular concept allows us to conduct residencies that reach beyond percussion departments. Many kinds of students at a music school or conservatory can participate in Amid the Noise: vocalists, string quartets, wind and brass players, guitarists, and of course percussionists,” said Treuting.
“Amid the Noise is an incredible musical adventure, for both the performers and the audience. The chance to collaborate with Jason Treuting and Sō Percussion on this project is a once in a lifetime experience for these students! We are all excited to work with them in this collaborative environment,” said SOU Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies Dr. Terry Longshore.
Friday, January 28, 12:30-1:20pm: Livestreamed for free at the Oregon Center for the Arts YouTube Channel!
Sō Percussion will present some of their works for the SOU Friday Music Showcase. Join the livestream for free (see below).
Friday, January 28, 7:30pm:
Sō Percussion, presented by Chamber Music Concerts will also appear in concert on Friday, January 28, at 7:30pm in the SOU Music Recital Hall. In-person tickets are $45, livestream $20 - available while seats last. Purchase online here or by calling 541-552-6154.
Both concerts featuring Sō Percussion open the winter line-up of musical presentations by the SOU Music Program and Chamber Music Concerts at Southern Oregon University. For additional event information: oca.sou.edu or call the Oregon Center for the Arts Box Office at 541-552-6348 or email boxoffice@sou.edu.