Fort Lewis College Percussion Ensemble
The American Gamelan of Lou Harrison
World Showcase Concert
Friday, 3:00 p.m.

Under the direction of John Pennington, the percussion ensembles at Fort Lewis College have enjoyed celebrated performances and accolades. The keyboard percussion ensemble is dedicated to performing literature that preserves the legacies of the past and looks forward to new compositional horizons. At the center of this ensemble’s repertoire is the ragtime music of the 1920s and 1930s, which features early jazz xylophone virtuosity. This ensemble has performed in numerous venues throughout North America and recently performed for the entire House of Representatives of the State of Colorado. The Fort Lewis percussion ensemble program released its first CD recording in 2006 titled The Invisible Proverb and subsequently, its second, The American Gamelan, Revisited, in 2007. Through the acquisition of the American Gamelan from instrument designer Richard Cooke, the percussion ensemble has performed both La Koro Sutro and Suite for Violin and American Gamelan, which are two of the three pieces Harrison composed for this instrumental ensemble.

Performer, educator, composer, author, producer and conductor John C. Pennington is currently a professor of music at Fort Lewis College, in Durango, Colorado. He also serves as artistic director of the Animas Music Festival. He received degrees from the University of Arizona, the University of Michigan, and Arizona State University. Pennington is an orchestral percussionist who currently performs with the Music in the Mountains Music Festival, Animas Music Festival, and the San Juan Symphony.

Sponsors

Animus Music Festival | Fort Lewis College
Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra