On Monday, Oct. 6, Percussion Group Cincinnati comes to Arcata for the first time in its 30-year history. “In my opinion, this is the best professional percussion ensemble in the world today,” said Dr. Eugene Novotney, Director of Percussion Studies at HSU and founder of the Humboldt State Calypso Band. “They are all virtuosos in their own right, and together they represent a virtual super-group of talent and musicianship.”
Novotney is hardly alone in his enthusiasm. “Impossible to over-praise” (said the New York Times), these “master musicians” (as the New Yorker magazine called them) of Percussion Group Cincinnati present “a performance of remarkable intensity” (Washington Post.) Newspapers in other cities lauded them as “strange and wonderful,” “innovative,” “a visual and aural treat” and “sheer rhythmic joy.”
“Showcasing classic and experimental concert music from America, Chile, South Africa and China, their dynamic palette consists of marimbas, drums, gongs, prepared piano, a computer, a deck of cards and more,” writes composer Tamara Turner in CD Baby, an independent music publication. “There is no question that one of PGC’s trademarks, whether intentional or not, is about thinking outside the box.”
Their international tours have included appearances in major cities, festivals and concert halls in America, Europe and Asia. But never northern California—until Oct. 6 at HSU.
Then on Friday, Oct. 10, guitarist Gyan Riley returns to HSU, where he taught for the 2005-06 school year. This time he’s bringing two other outstanding West Coast musicians, drummer Scott Amendola and violinist/violist Timb Harris, to perform original music from Riley’s latest CD, “Melismantra.”
Oakland Magazine called his music “never less than enthralling,” and the East Bay Express described his CD as “a mesmerizing mix of classical, rock, jazz, and traditional Indian music.”
Gyan Riley has performed internationally, including gigs with the San Francisco Symphony and his father, the composer/pianist Terry Riley. After a 10-city tour of Ireland next spring, he will play Carnegie Hall and record one of his father’s compositions with the Kronos Quartet.
For the HSU concert, Riley’s trio has adapted the music from his CD for live performance. “We’ve also opened up certain sections for improvisational solos,” Riley said, “and to allow for unexpected twists and turns, which I feel adds a lot of excitement to the live element.”
Then on Saturday, Oct. 11, HSU’s own Deborah Clasquin performs a program of 20th century dance music in her solo piano concert. Fiery Spanish and pulsating South American rhythms, Eastern European music shaped by Arab influences, and American jazz are among the dance and musical styles she will explore.
The program features ballet music by Ravel and Bartok, works by lesser known composers Frederico Mompou and Karol Szymanowski, and selections from jazz piano great Bill Evans.
Deborah Clasquin enjoys an active career as a recitalist and orchestral soloist. She has appeared in concert in Paris, Moscow, Kiev, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco and throughout Northern California, winning numerous prizes and awards. She has recently appeared as soloist with the Eureka Symphony Orchestra and the Brockport Symphony performing Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto.
As a Professor of Music on the faculty at Humboldt State, she is also devoted to teaching piano. Her students have been heard on NPR’s “From The Top” and won numerous competitions, including a Gold Medal in the 2003 Magin International Piano Competition in Paris and maintain careers as performers and teachers.
The three concerts—Percussion Group Cincinnati on Oct. 6, Gyan Riley Trio on Oct. 10 and Deborah Clasquin on Oct. 11—will all be held in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on the HSU campus, beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are available from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. For more information, check HSU Music.