MSUM hosts the Honors High School Percussion Ensemble

On Saturday, Feb. 20, MSUM hosts the Honors High School Percussion Ensemble. This group was selected through audition, and consists of percussionists from area high schools. The students will rehearse and perform as the MSUM Honors High School Percussion Ensemble, working directly with Dr. Kenyon Williams, Professor of Music and Percussion. The performance is set for 4 p.m. in the MSUM Center for the Arts “Great White Hall.”  The concert will also feature one selection to be performed by the MSUM Percussion Ensemble, the controversial work “Hands Up!” by Ivan Trevino, written in reaction to the riots in Ferguson, Missouri.  The concert is free and open to the public.

Then, on Monday, Feb. 22, the MSUM Percussion Ensemble, in conjunction with the MSUM Office of Diversity and Inclusion, will perform the controversial work Hands Up! by Ivan Trevino in the CMU Underground for the “Flute Juice” poetry slam event at 7 p.m.  Hands Up! was composed as a reaction to the riots in Ferguson, Mo.,  and captures the anger, confusion, and ultimate unity of the #BlackLivesMatter protestors as they coalesced around the tragic events in Ferguson.  The evening will also feature guest jazz flautist Galen Abdur-Razzaq and student/faculty poetry slams in celebration of Black History month.