Performance Opportunities through Courses
Many of the courses in our curriculum provide opportunities to perform as part of the course objectives. Some examples include Playing and Hearing Music, Music Production Workshop, Scene Studies, Sound Painting, Nic D'Amato's Project Course, Chamber Music Workshop, Music Therapy, Gamelan Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble. Applied courses offer the opportunity for weekly performance classes, workshops and solo recitals. Below are some detailed examples of such courses.
Acadia University Percussion Ensemble, directed by Mark Adam
The Acadia Percussion Ensemble (APE) is one of the many performing ensembles at the Acadia University School of Music in Nova Scotia. Percussion graduates from this program have gone on to careers as principal percussionists in orchestras, music producers, audio engineers, award winning composers, university professors, and much more. The Acadia Percussion Ensemble is a vehicle through which, with careful guidance, performers explore excellence and self-discovery through the complex relationships afforded while working on some of the most exciting new and historical works for percussion. The percussion students at Acadia form a strong community of support where they learn the skills to not only pursue solo work at the highest level in their private lessons but also develop the skills to support and teach each other through critical inquiry and communication work.
Performance Video: AU Percussion Ensemble, concert March 2021
Gamelan Ensemble, directed by Ken Shorley
This ensemble performs on a set of beautiful Indonesian instruments which are in residence at Acadia – bronze gongs, gong-chimes and metallophones, in addition to xylophone, hand drums and bamboo flute. Established in 2009, the Gamelan Ensemble performs traditional and contemporary music for “gamelan degung”, which is a regional style from West Java known for its elegance, lyricism and buoyant groove. In recent years, the Ensemble has commissioned and premiered a number of works by both Canadian and Indonesian composers.
Entrance to the ensemble is by audition, following successful completion of the Introduction to Gamelan course (MUSI 2383), which is open to both music and non-music majors.
Contact: ken.shorley@acadiau.ca
http://www.kenshorley.com/acadiagamelan/
