The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Department of Music will present two very diverse concerts in November -- a percussion concert Nov. 24 with a guest percussionist and a seasonal choral concert Nov. 26 featuring the University Chorale and Women’s Chorus.

 

Nov. 24: Percussion Concert with Guest Percussionist

 

Dr. Gregory Lyons from Louisiana Tech University will perform solo pieces as well as appear with the UAFS Percussion Ensemble in a 3 p.m. Nov. 24 concert in the Reynolds Room of the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center.

 

Lyons is an assistant professor in the Department of Music at Louisiana Tech University, where he teaches applied percussion, directs the percussion ensemble and coaches the drum line. He also serves as head of instrumental music education, teaching courses in that field and observing student teachers.

 

As a chamber musician, Lyons appears frequently across North Louisiana with Implosion Percussion Group, comprised of Dr. Mel Mobley (University of Louisiana at Monroe) and area percussionists. He and Dr. Darin Olson (University of Wisconsin) form the Olson/Lyons Duo.

 

The UAFS Percussion Ensemble, directed by Joshua J. Knight of Fort Smith, will feature a variety of drums and keyboard instruments during the concert. Ensemble selections will include melodic pieces like “Moonrise” and “Vertical River” composed by Blake Tyson, as well as rhythmically complex and dramatic drum-oriented pieces such as “Sharpened Stick” by Brett Dietz.

 

According to Knight, who is a percussion instructor at UAFS, this concert is a must-see event for percussion enthusiasts.

 

“Not only will the audience be entertained by a great solo percussionist,” he said, “but the music repertoire will feature a variety of instruments that include marimba, xylophone, drums, cymbals and various ‘effects’ instruments.”

 

For more information, contact Knight at josh.knight@uafs.edu.

 

Nov. 26: Seasonal Choral Concert

 

The University Chorale and Women’s Chorus at UAFS will present a Seasonal Choral Concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26 in Breedlove Auditorium.

 

The concert will include “Christmas Day” and “In the Bleak Midwinter” by Gustav Holst, John Leavitt’s “Hodie,” “Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day” by John Gardner, “There Is No Rose” by Jim Leininger and a traditional arrangement of “Silent Night.”

 

Dr. Rager H. Moore II of Prairie Grove, UAFS director of choral activities, complimented the choirs on their hard work and dedication.

 

“The students have been working really hard all semester,” he said. “Although they have had a short turnaround from their October choral concert, they will show their fine musicianship and prepare this music in less than four weeks.”

 

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, email Moore at rager.moore@uafs.edu.