Faculty quartet will perform at conference

by MATTIE HENRY
reporter

The thundering beat of the marimba will be felt in Nashville.

MarshallÕs Flat Baroque (mostly) Marimba Quartet will perform Saturday at the Percussive Arts Society Conference in Nashville.

The Percussive Arts Society is an international not-for-profit organization for drummers and percussionists. Its convention will showcase clinics, concerts, master classes and workshops focusing on many areas of percussion, including drumset, orchestral, keyboard, world, electronics and more.

The Flat Baroque Marimba Quartet is a faculty percussion quartet comprised of Marshall faculty members; Ben F. Miller, coordinator of percussion studies; J. Steven Hall, associate professor of music; Greg Radcliff, adjunct percussion instructor; and R. David Wilson, graduate teaching assistant in percussion.

"Though we perform a majority of our music on marimbas, we also use bells, steel pans and a variety of drums, spoons and what-have-you," Miller said.

"When I formed the original group back in 1980, most of our repertoire was music written in the musical time period called the Baroque Era, but over the years we have greatly expanded our selections.

"Now we play everything from the baroque to John Denver and Scott Joplin as well as music from the Caribbean, West Africa, Central and South America."

The quartet, which at times is a duo, trio or quintet, has performed on campus for concerts, receptions and special events. They have also performed off campus at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Ky., the Ironton Community Concert Series in Ohio and in Charleston.

To be selected to perform at the conference, the group had to submit a tape last year from one of their performances. The tape was then reviewed by a selection committee and the board of di-rectors of the society.