Dr. Brad Meyer, director of the percussion studio at Stephen F. Austin State University, will continue his “In the Trees” contemporary/new-music concert series with a performance of his original composition “For Whom …” featuring the carillon atop the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus.
The performance will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 6, with audience outdoor seating in the green space between Griffith Fine Arts Building and the entrance to Cole Concert Hall in Wright Music Building.
Specifically written by Meyer for the restored carillon, “For Whom …” is a chronological representation of a tsunami striking a coastal city/town, Meyer explained.
“The tsunami in this composition is a metaphor for the big changes that happen in each of our lives,” he said. “The composition represents the calm before the storm, followed by the feeling of impending doom, the mass exodus of animals that can sense the impending disaster better than humans, the actual strike of the tsunami, the physical and emotional aftermath, and finally the feelings of total uncertainty and loss,” Meyer said.
The performers will include the SFA Percussion Studio, as well as students from the other instrumental areas in the SFA School of Music, with Meyer playing the carillon.
The recent restoration and expansion of the bell tower of Griffith Fine Arts Building was completed through a campus-community partnership with funding provided by the Charles and Lois Marie Bright Foundation. The project added 10 new bells to the original 15 installed when the Griffith Building was constructed in 1959. The addition created a full two-octave chromatic carillon.
After a short introduction by Meyer, the performance should last 45 minutes. Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, picnic items and umbrellas to keep out of the sun. If there is inclement weather, the performance will be canceled due to the necessity of the carillon.
Admission is free. For more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.
