HOMEGROWN celebrates the talents emerging right here in our own building and is the culmination of a semester-long collaboration between the URI Composition Studio and the Percussion Ensemble. The ensemble will premiere four brand new works written by students in the composition studio and their faculty advisor Dr. Eliane Aberdam. The composition students had the unique opportunity to workshop their ideas with a live ensemble in real-time, while the ensemble members received valuable experience in shaping the first interpretation of a brand-new piece of music. The peer-to-peer experience for all involved has proven to be a great success!

The program will begin with “Magic Garden” by Katherine Loo, a piece that evokes the mystery and wonder of new discovery. Dr. Aberdam’s “Fumo in Aero: ed in Acqua la Schiuma” is a challenging work inspired by the writings of Dante. Peter Kelmelis’s “Seasons” takes the listener through short, colorful vignettes of the changing seasons and the program will close with Jon Howe’s “Solas”, a rousing work for keyboard ensemble based on two dance tunes from the musical traditions of Scotland and Ireland.