Percussion Ensemble at ETSU earns international honor

It’s the Final Four for academic percussion programs

Comprised of talented students at East Tennessee State University, the Percussion Ensemble has earned an incredible international honor. 

The group is heading to Indianapolis early next month for the New Percussion Ensemble Literature Showcase Concert.  

The group is housed in ETSU’s Department of Music. ETSU is one of only four universities invited to present an entire showcase concert each year.  

“This is the equivalent to making it to the Final Four for academic percussion programs,” said Dr. Matthew Geiger, assistant professor of percussion in the department. “I am so proud of these students and the hard work they have put in to arrive at this moment.”   

The event is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. 

“To be selected for this performance is a tremendous honor,” he said. “The 90-minute featured concert is designed to showcase the most recent music composed for percussion ensemble, including a piece written specifically for the ETSU Percussion Ensemble. The musical program was carefully selected to present a diverse collection of composers and styles, featuring every level of ensemble repertoire, from beginner to extremely advanced.”  

If you’d like to hear the talented group perform, you have a chance coming up.  

Its next concert, free and open to the public, happens Sunday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m. at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts. For those unable to attend in person, a livestream link is here.   

For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at (423) 439-8346.  

ETSU is a tremendous source of creativity and entertainment in the Appalachian Highlands, hosting dozens of concerts, exhibitions and more each year.  

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East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.