NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University Assistant Professor of Music Oliver Molina will perform a percussion recital on Thursday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Admission is limited to 75 NSU faculty, staff and students. The concert will be livestreamed at capa.nsula.edu/livestream.
Molina will be performing seven solos on various percussion instruments. The program begins with “Raga No. 1” for timpani by Bill Cahn. “Raga No. 1” is based on a four-note melody that incorporates stylistic traits and techniques of the tabla, the traditional drums of North Indian classical music.
“Distances” by Baljinder Sekhon is for solo marimba. The title refers to the intervallic distances between the pitch material that makes up the content of the composition.
“Broken Mirrors” by Vera Stanojevic is on snare drum with electronic playback.
The piece is a result of several workshopping sessions with Stanojevic, which included sampling experimental sounds for later manipulation.
“Being Black” by Joe Moore is for multi-percussion. “Being Black” is a five-movement multi-percussion solo. The piece was written as a memorial of the Black lives that have been lost to police brutality and other senseless killings. This piece will also be performed as part of a presentation this month for the University of Louisiana System’s For Our Future Conference. Molina will present a session titled “Music as an Impetus for Social Change.”
The program will also include “Parkland” by Marc Mellits. “Parkland” is a seven- movement vibraphone solo that was written during the immediate aftermath of the February 14, 2018, school shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida. It serves as a memorial for the Parkland community.
The program will conclude with “Sector 3” by Mellits, an aggressive drum set solo built on post-minimalist ideas that develops through short repetitions, and “Beautiful Boy” by John Lennon arranged by Molina for solo steel pan. The work is dedicated to Molina’s son who celebrates his second birthday this month.
