Millikin Percussion Ensemble Masterworks Concert to premiere Dorman's 'Consumed'

[April 25, 2014]  DECATUR — The Millikin University Percussion Ensemble will present its annual Masterworks Concert on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Kirkland Fine Arts Center on the Millikin campus. The performance is free and open to the public.

The concert will showcase the depth and breadth of contemporary chamber music through a program featuring historically significant works for percussion. The ensemble will also premiere a work by Avner Dorman entitled "Consumed," a tour de force for keyboard percussion instruments.

Dorman has quickly risen to become one of the leading composers of his generation. Dorman's works explore a diverse range of genre and stylistic parameters, including works for dance and film. His unique approach to rhythm and timbre has attracted some of the world's most notable conductors, including Zubin Mehta, Christoph Eschenbach, Riccardo Chailly and David Robertson. Conductors bring Dorman's music to international audiences with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony and many others.

The Millikin Percussion Ensemble is under the direction of Brian Justison, professor of music at the university.

Millikin University's percussion studio and ensembles represent one of the finest undergraduate programs of its kind. Through a diverse selection of degrees and course offerings, the program is committed to providing students with the facilities and training necessary to achieve success in the professional world. Percussion studies at Millikin are designed to develop the whole musician — artistically, intellectually and technically through the integration of theory and practice. The goal is to develop the highest possible level of musicianship and an appropriate proficiency in performance, teaching, technology or program administration, depending on the curriculum chosen by the student.

For more information on Millikin's performing ensembles, visit millikin.edu/music.

For more information on Kirkland Fine Arts Center, visit kirklandfinearts.com. Events at the Kirkland Fine Arts Center are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and the Midwest Arts Council.

[Text from file received from Millikin University]