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MARCH 8, 2001--The Oberlin Percussion Group (OPG), a student ensemble from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College known for its premieres and performances of new percussion works, embarks this month on a mini-tour of eastern states. The group's itinerary includes a performance with renowned violinist Gregory Fulkerson, Oberlin Conservatory professor of violin, at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City.
Oberlin Conservatory Professor of Percussion Michael Rosen founded the OPG in 1972, and serves as the ensemble's conductor. Rosen will lead the OPG in a program of works by contemporary composers François Rose, Mary Ellen Childs, Walter Ross, Peter Child and William Hubbel at:
- Yale University's Sprague Hall, Sunday, March 25 at 4 P.M.
- Peabody Conservatory of Music, Tuesday, March 27 at 8 P.M.
- Manhattan School of Music, Thursday, March 29 at 8 P.M.
Of special note is the OPG's collaboration with Fulkerson. He will accompany the ensemble on tour to perform the original version of Michael Daugherty's Lex, which was written expressly for Fulkerson. In turn, on Monday, March 26, at 8 P.M., the OPG will join Fulkerson to perform the piece during his concert at Merkin Hall.
The current members of the OPG are:
- Walter Broughton '02, from Duluth, Minn.,
- Reagan Fletcher '01, from Canadaigua, N. Y.,
- Scott Forth, '01, from Buffalo, N. Y.,
- Tim McKay '03 from Fairfax, Va.,
- Adam Sliwinski '01, from Hudson, Ohio, and
- John Tarcza '01 from Alexandria, Va.
New works are a major part of the group's repertoire; an extensive collection of fine exotic and conventional Western percussion instruments at the Oberlin Conservatory helps make possible performances such as the American premieres of works by Iannis Xenakis, Michaël Levinas, Riccardo Malpiero and Luigi Nono. The OPG performs outside of Oberlin often and has recorded several CD's, available on the Opus One, Lumina and CRI labels. In 1984, the group won the Percussive Arts Percussion Ensemble Contest.
Rosen is known as the marimbist who introduced the marimba music of Akira Miyoshi, Maki Ishii and Minoru Miki to the United States. He has performed with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, Da Camera Music Society of Houston and the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra. He has worked directly with Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez, John Cage, Lukas Foss, Salvatore Martirano, Herbert Brün and George Crumb. He has recorded with the Bayerische Rundfunk, Opus One, Lumina, Albany and CRI labels.
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College, founded in 1865, is the nation's oldest continuously operating conservatory, and the only major music school in the country linked with a preeminent college of arts and sciences. The Conservatory offers majors in performance, composition, music education, music theory, electronic and computer music, jazz studies, music history, and a double major in piano performance and vocal accompanying. There are more than 400 public concerts on campus each year--most of them free--including performances by student ensembles, faculty members, and performances and master classes by guest artists.
Media Contact: Marci Janas
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