(Posted April 15, 2008)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The Juniata College Percussion Ensemble and the college PVC Pipe Ensemble will perform a concert, with guest artists the Penn State Percussion Ensemble, at 3 p.m., Saturday, April 19 in Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts on the Juniata campus.

The concert is $3 for adults and free for children under 18 and students with a valid Juniata I.D. card.

In addition, the Juniata Percussion Ensemble will perform with guest artist and composer Phil Faini, professor emeritus of music at West Virginia University and a noted composer in his own right.

Faini, who retired in 1999, specialized in jazz and African music and headed the university's percussion ensembles from 1961 to 1993. He also founded the World Music Center at West Virginia University. He made trips to Africa in the 1960s and 1970s and recorded more than 500 examples of African folk music from 20 tribes.

The concert will open with the PVC Pipe Ensemble, a group that uses large plastic pipes of varying lengths and sizes as percussion instruments, will perform various tunes such as "Conga," "La Bamba," "Limbo," Bobby McFerrin's hit "Don't Worry, Be Happy," the Drifters hit "Under the Boardwalk" and "Jump in the Line."

The Juniata Percussion Ensemble takes the stage next, conducted by Phil Faini for several of his compositions. The first, "Sleep O Sleep My Lovely Child," will be followed by a Faini arrangement of the Henry Mancini theme from "Peter Gunn." The next selection is "Prelude and Fugue," by Faini, and "Bonham," by Christopher Rouse, which was written in honor of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham.

The Penn State Percussion Ensemble will perform "Mudra," by Bob Becker and "Nagoya Marimbas," a marimba duet by minimalist composer Steve Reich.


Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.