The Columbus Symphony Orchestra is pleased to present “Unusual Percussion & A Little ‘Rach’” on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 7:30 PM featuring CSU Professor of Percussion, Dr. Paul Vaillancourt and Up/Down Percussion. Never have recycled cans, hubcaps, and bottles of all shapes and sizes sounded so amazing. Järvlepp’s Garbage Concerto is a masterpiece of whimsical repurposing and ingenuity. Pair it with Rachmaninoff’s lush, lyrical, post-Romantic symphony and you have a concert experience you will never forget.

Maestro George Del Gobbo comments, “This concert offers music from the extremes of the orchestral repertoire. On the one hand, there is the incredibly lyrical music of Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony. It's one beautiful melody after another. The other piece on the program is traditional in every sense but one, and that is the solo percussion quintet that plays very non-traditional instruments, instruments recycled from found objects. In other words: "trash". Hence the name: Garbage Concerto. You'll be amazed at the sounds produced by various cans and bottles and paper bags, etc. You don't want to miss it.”

CSU Professor of Percussion, Dr. Paul Vaillancourt has been a featured soloist at the Banff and Aspen Summer Music Festivals, Sound Symposium Music Festival in Newfoundland, with the National Arts Center and Ottawa Symphony Orchestras and the St. Petersburg Chamber Orchestra (Russia). Recent concerto performances have included Michael Daugherty’s Raise the Roof with the

CSU Wind Ensemble, Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto with the CSU Philharmonic, the Guanajuato Philharmonic Orchestra in Mexico and the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra this past summer. He has performed all over the world with many contemporary music ensembles including Bent Frequency, Sonic Generator, Furious Band, The Fountain City Ensemble and the piano/percussion duo, STRIKE with pianist Jeff Meyer. He performs regularly with the Columbus Symphony and more recently with the Atlanta Symphony. Since his appointment as pit orchestra director for the Springer Opera House in Columbus, Georgia, he has led productions of Shrek The Musical, Les Misérables, Mary Poppins, Beauty and The Beast, The Little Mermaid, Avenue Q, Sweeney Todd and Newsies. He completed his D.M.A. at the State University of New York in Stony Brook studying with Raymond DesRoches and his Masters in Music Performance at McGill University studying with Pierre Béluse.

Up/Down is a percussion quartet founded by members Jonathan Mashburn, Joel Castro, Jordan Walsh, and James Klausmeyer. The group regularly performs both as a quartet and in smaller duo and trio settings. Notable recent projects have included performances at the 2014 Columbus Minimalism Symposium, the 2015 Chosen Vale Percussion Seminar, an appearance in Clayton State University’s Educational Series, the 2015 PASIC Chamber Competition, and various community outreach events. Up/Down’s repertoire ranges from the works of veteran composers like Steve Reich and Jacob TV to newer contributions by Jason Treuting and Wally Gunn. The group members are currently pursuing graduate degrees respectively at the University of Michigan, Indiana University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbus State University.

“Unusual Percussion & A Little ‘Rach’” is presented by Aflac, Boomer 102.5, 103.7 Lite FM, Columbus Marriott, and WLTZ.

Enhance the concert experience with our FREE FAMILY ACTIVITY! On Saturday, January 20th from 9:30 – 11:30 AM in the lobby of the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, meet with the musicians of Up/Down Percussion to build your own percussion instruments out of recycled materials.  The group will provide example instruments to touch and play as well as lead you through the creation of your own!

Open Dress Rehearsal will begin Saturday, January 20th at 12:30 PM. We encourage attendance from all members of the community, including those who are unable to attend the evening concert or looking for a “behind-the-scenes” experience into the ensemble. It is a great way to introduce your children to a live musical experience. Continuing the tradition, this informal and all-inclusive atmosphere is breaking the financial barrier by encouraging attendees to “pay what you want.”  Audience members set their own prices to eliminate hesitation and allow new viewers to partake in the music being created by the CSO.

Attend Know the Score prior to the concert, at 6:30 PM in Studio Theatre. Know the Score is a casual pre-concert conversation with Music Director and Conductor George Del Gobbo that is sure to provide more insight into the repertoire on the evening’s concert.

Concert tickets range from $5 - $38 and may be purchased at the RiverCenter Box Office, Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5:30 PM or one hour prior to the performance (enter doors located on Broadway). Student tickets are available for $10. Tickets for children under 12 years of age are $5.

For more information call the RiverCenter Box Office at 706.256.3612 or visit us online at www.csoga.org.