“helped ignite an explosive new enthusiasm for percussion music old and new.”  (The New Yorker)

“an exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy” (The New Yorker)

Sō Percussion is contemporary classical music’s leading percussion ensemble by many measures: its virtuosity, its searching sensibility, and its shining profile, includes work with pop artists like The National and Dirty Projectors. But perhaps above all, they are known for the incredible range of music with four members and a changeable palette of pitched percussion, drumkits, and piano. The quartet’s “telepathic powers of communication” (The New York Times) bring to life the vibrant percussion repertoire with an array of classical, pop, indie rock, theater music, and more. They are joined on this special performance by beatboxer and vocal percussionist Dominic "Shodekeh" Talifero.

The afternoon features three powerful works. First, hailed for being “A fresh and invigorating cross-cultural voice” by The Nation and music that is “powerful and unpretentious” (The New York Times), the program showcases Haitian-American composer Nathalie Joachim’s new work, Note To Self, a co-commission by Carnegie Hall that debuted this past December with Sō Percussion. Also included in the program is Dominic "Shodekeh" Talifero’s, Vodalities: Paradigms of Consciousness for the Human Voice, composed for Sō Percussion, and focused on the vocal modalities, or “vodalities of breath art, vocal percussion and beatboxing,” as well as selections from Sō Percussion ensemble member Jason Treuting’s Amid the Noise, featuring MSU College of Music percussion students.

Sponsored by Delta Dental of Michigan with additional support from MSU College of Music Entrepreneurial Musical Artist in Residence Program.

Media Sponsor Michigan Radio.