Music Department Chair Performs Solo Percussion Recital

Bradley Fuster, associate professor and chair of music, will present a solo percussion recital on Tuesday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Louis P. Ciminelli Recital Hall at Rockwell Hall.

The program will begin with Rock Etude No. 7 written by Bill Douglas and arranged by Michael Udow. This highly complex rhythmic piece requires the performer to execute a musical passage three times—first as a vocal, then on a single drum, and, finally, on vocals and percussion simultaneously.

The second piece, Etude for a Quiet Hall by Christopher Deane, is among the most demanding pieces in the four-mallet solo-marimba repertoire.

“The piece contains that rare combination of methodically slow, beautiful lyricism, technical acrobatics, and an overall intelligence of formal architecture,” Fuster said. “It’s one of those great pieces that is equally fun to play and hear.”

The third piece is John Cage’s landmark transcription of the E.E. Cummings poem “Forever and Sunsmell,” which Cage set to music in 1944. Fuster will be joined by assistant professor of music Holly Bewlay and percussion student Colin Sperrazza for this work.

The penultimate piece on the program is The Recital Piece (A Drama for Solo Xylophonist) by Bill Cahn. Cahn served as a visiting lecturer in improvisation at Buffalo State in fall 2012, is a founding member of the Nexus percussion quintet, and teaches percussion at the Eastman School of Music. Fuster will perform Cahn’s piece on the historic 1919 Deagan Artist Special xylophone that was recently acquired and restored by the Music Department.

The recital will conclude with Bob Becker’s tour-de-force, Mudra, which is based on the dance rhythms of India. To perform this virtuosic piece, Fuster will be accompanied by members of the Buffalo State Percussion Ensemble, which he directs. 

Fuster holds degrees in percussion performance from SUNY Geneseo, Yale University, and the University of Southern California. He regularly performs with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for students with ticket. Tickets can be purchased online through the Performing Arts Center or via phone at (716) 878-3005. Free admission tickets available at the box office with valid student ID.