Culture
OU Percussion Ensemble Presents Works by All Female Composers Nov. 16
By: Emily Votaw
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On Thursday, November 16 at 8 p.m., the Ohio University Percussion Ensemble will present a concert made up entirely by works crafted by female composers in the Glidden Recital Hall on the Ohio University Athens campus. The performance will be directed by professor Roger Braun and graduate teaching assistants Forrest Yankey and Ryan Swanson.
“A lot of times you go to a concert (put on) by the School of Music, and a lot of the composers aren’t necessarily 21st or even 20th century composers; generally the composers have passed away,” said Seth Alexander, a second year graduate student and member of the ensemble. “And while composing is still a generally male-dominated field, unfortunately – you’ll find that there are a lot more female composers who have been creating work over the past 50 years. That means that a lot of their work is going to be more modernist, and oftentimes very difficult.”
The works that the ensemble will be tackling include two by women who have received Pulitzer prizes in music for their work: Julia Wolfe and Jennifer Higdon. Wolfe’s “Dark Full Ride” and Higdon’s “Splendid Wood” make up part of the concert’s program, as well as works by Johanna Beyer and Franziska Boas from the ‘30s. A piece by Ohio University alumna Chichun Lee is also a portion of the concert; and works by Susan Powell, Evelyn Glennie, and Keiko Abe.
“I was surprised when I realized how many female composer are out there right now,” said Morgan Sieg, an undergraduate in the Honors Tutorial College and another member of the ensemble. “There’s a lot out there, and a lot to look at, in those regards.”
The percussion ensemble is made up of Seth Alexander, Jack Barry, Josh Cleland, Ryan Garrett, Garrett Greene, Jake Evans, Alex Johnstone, Adam Jones, Reuben Miller, Savannah Schuring, Morgan Sieg, Ryan Swanson, Kyle Turner, Austin Walsh, Garrett Weddington, and Forrest Yankey.