January 1, 0001

On February 10 the Percussion and Guitar Ensembles will present a joint winter concert, with the Percussion Ensemble performing Frank Zappa pieces in honor of the 75^th anniversary of the iconic musician’s birthday. Selections include "The Black Page" and "G-Spot Tornado.” They will also present George & Ira Gershwin’s "Porgy & Bess" in honor of the 80th anniversary of the piece’s first performance in New York City, as well as "Hide & Seek," an original composition written for the Ensemble by student member Steven Burns.

Fifteen acoustic guitarists will present such highlights as Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times;” the Scott Joplin classic, “Maple Leaf Rag;” “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix; and jazz and classical pieces. Directed by Joe Napoli, the Guitar Ensemble focuses on standard pop, classic rock, blues, simple jazz and classical studies. The free-to-the-public concert will take place at 7:30pm in the Mandell Theater (33^rd & Chestnut Streets).

The Percussion Ensemble is directed by Mark Beecher and joins traditional ethnic hand instruments, such as the tabla and dumbek, with orchestral mallet instruments like the marimba and vibraphone. Students merge ancient percussion applications with modern technology with Drexel's turntable and drum machine rig. Students interested in joining or learning more about performance scholarships should contact Professor Beecher at meb26@drexel.edu. If you are interested in joining the Guitar Ensemble, no audition is required but students must possess basic knowledge of major and minor chords, an understanding of the single notes in the first position, and openness to using improvisation with simple blues or pentatonic scales. For more information please contact Joe Napoli at jmn35@drexel.edu.