Concerto for Vibraphone and Percussion Ensemble, by Nathan Daughtrey

Nathan Daughtrey, Vibraphone Soloist
Performed by the University of Oklahoma Percussion Ensemble
Dr. Lance Drege, conductor

Concerto for Vibraphone and Percussion Ensemble
Copyright © 2010 C. Alan Publications (www.c-alanpublications.com)

Also be sure to check out the performance discussion with Nathan Daughtrey!    • Concerto for Vibraphone and Percussio...  

ABOUT THE PIECE:
Commissioned by Dr. Lisa Rogers (percussion professor at Texas Tech University), the first movement of the Concerto for Vibraphone and Percussion Ensemble received its premiere in November 2009 at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Indianapolis by Lisa Rogers and the Brazoswood High School Percussion Ensemble, directed by Eric Harper. It will be premiered in its entirety at the International Society for Music Education (ISME) Conference in Beijing, China in August 2010 by the Texas Tech University Percussion Ensemble, directed by Allan Shin, with Dr. Lisa Rogers as the vibraphone soloist.

For the first movement, Night's Song, I tried to depict this mysterious, starry night that gradually turns dark and rainy. The phrases that really spoke to me and shaped the music were "behind daylight," "you thrash around the sky," "you run wild over the savage flow of rivers," and rain and darkness are the blade of a singing sword while stars, or jasmine petals, gaze from blackened heights." I love how Neruda describes daylight as being born nighttime, so I decided to make the movements attacca so that the second movement, Enchanted Light, bursts forth out of the first movement.

The second movement, Enchanted Light, is much more sparkly and bright, depicting the "light dropping from the top of the sky." The "cicada sending its sawing song high into the empty air" even makes an appearance when the ensemble vibraphone player places pennies on the bars and then bows those bars with optional help from a sizzle cymbal. Motives and themes from the first movement return in several spots throughout the second movement helping to unify the work. The soloist gets a workout as well in the tour-de-force second movement, unlike the much more introspective first movement.

For more information: http://goo.gl/jg7JFf

ABOUT THE COMPOSER:
Percussionist, composer, & educator Nathan Daughtrey (b. 1975) is a musical chameleon who uses his wide-ranging talents to adapt comfortably to a variety of environments. As a performing artist and clinician for Yamaha percussion, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, and Zildjian cymbals, he has performed and given masterclasses and clinics throughout the United States and across three continents. Nathan has recorded two solo marimba albums to date -- "Spiral Passages" and "The Yuletide Marimba" -- as well as several chamber music albums, including a recent collaboration with euphoniumist Brian Meixner titled "Praxis."

With over 60 publications for percussion ensemble, concert band, orchestra, chamber ensembles, and soloists as well as an ever-growing number of commissions, Nathan balances his performing with composing, and to great acclaim. He is the only composer in the history of the Percussive Arts Society International Composition Contest to procure both 2nd and 3rd place in the same year with his percussion ensemble works "Limerick Daydreams" and "Adaptation," respectively. Nathan's compositions appear regularly on performances at PASIC, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the Bands of America National Percussion Festival, and in concert halls and other performance venues around the world. His works have also been recorded on several albums by respected performers, including the FSU Percussion Ensemble, the Showa Wind Symphony conducted by Ray Cramer, the RoseWind Duo, and Mississippi State University. Additionally, three of his compositions for wind ensemble have been featured in three volumes of "Teaching Music Through Performance in Band."

For more information: http://goo.gl/sjqfyi

ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE:
One of the most highly acclaimed percussion programs in the United States, the Percussion Area at the OU School of Music is recognized for excellence in the areas of pedagogy, performance, recording, commissioning, and publishing. OU percussion graduates hold positions as performers and academicians throughout the country.

An associate professor in the School of Music at the University of Oklahoma, Lance Drege directs the percussion program, teaches applied percussion, conducts the OU Percussion Orchestra, and teaches other percussion related courses. From 1997-2002, Dr. Drege also served as Assistant to the Director for the School of Music. Prior to coming to OU, Drege taught public school instrumental music in Hobart, OK and Elk City, OK.