Percussion Guild expands horizons across the globe

ANN MARIE TRIETLEY
Special to The Leader

There is an electrifying beat thumping in the crisp October air. It's a pulse and rhythm that is leading up to a rare and exclusive event.

On Wednesday, Oct. 24 Percussion Guild will welcome John S. Pratt and Nick Attanasio, two legends in the world of traditional drumming.

In addition to Pratt and Attanasio, several masters of percussion will arrive from as far as Finland to showcase their craft to eager drumming aficionados.

"It's incredibly prestigious to have these people coming," said Kay Stonefelt, faculty adviser of Percussion Guild. "They are history. The information and tradition that they carry is something that's going to pass out of our knowledge and it's up to these people [Percussion Guild] to carry it on."

Robin Engelman, a music professor at the University of Toronto and recipient of the Toronto Arts Award, will bring his percussion group, Nexus, which has been performing for 35 years.

The Canadian Associates Drumming Rudimental Excellence (CADRE) Rope Drum Ensemble will display the evolution of the traditional rope drum into a modern field drumming instrument. CADRE acknowledges Nick Attanasio, their long-time friend and collaborator as a world-class authority of rudimental bass drumming.

Jari Kantonen and Risto Skrikberg of Finland will be pounding percussive melodies as well. Skrikberg has been leading several conservatories since the 1980s, including the Sibelius Academy. Kantonen is a former student of Skrikberg and graduate of the Berklee School of Music.

"I am most excited to see different styles of traditional drumming come together," said Mitch Greco, a senior music performance and history major and president of Percussion Guild. "We have people from Finland, across the border and the [United] States coming. These guys have been playing for a long time, so we get to see a timeline and how different nationalities interpret different styles. I'm excited about everything."

Nick Attanasio has been drumming since the age of 3. He taught himself how to play rudimental bass drum after an injury to his left hand in 1939. Now, in his 75 year of drumming he has continued to regale audiences around the globe.

John S. Pratt began drumming when he was 10 years old. He joined the army after high school, went through the music school at Fort Knox and was accepted into the United States Military Academy Band's legendary group, The Hellcats. His excellence in field drums, also known as snare drums, still resonates with young music students.

"I'm excited to see John S. Pratt and Nick Attanasio the most because they are legends in the rudimental world," said Robert Frisk, a junior percussion performance major and public relations chair of Percussion Guild. "I enjoy seeing the famous people that have written the books that I'm playing out of come and do concerts."

Percussion Guild has thrilling events planned for the semester and some events have already taken place.

"Twelve students are traveling to Columbus, Ohio for the Percussive Arts Society conference," Stonefelt said. "That's really cool because there [are]going to be drummers from all over the world and every possible kind of drumming you can imagine there."

Percussion Guild has played at the annual Farmer's Market in downtown Fredonia for two years running and performs at community events three to five times a year.

Senior music major Scott Farkas will be going to a competition in Paris this year and his snare drum recital concert on Oct. 21 is sponsored by the Guild.

There is a drum-off competition also being planned along with a Halloween drum circle masquerade, complete with costumes. Take Back the Night, an annual event sponsored by the Women's Studies department, will feature Percussion Guild on Oct. 24 in Thompson Hall 101.

Percussion Guild featuring John S. Pratt and Nick Attanasio is at 8 p.m. in Juliet J. Rosch Recital Hall in Mason. A mass snare drum jam session led by the night's guests will take place 7 p.m.in the amphitheater between Mason Hall and the library.