percussion ensemble at lawrence

Ensembles at Lawrence include LUPÉ (Lawrence University Percussion Ensemble), Sambistas (Brazilian drumming ensemble), Kinkaviwo (African drumming ensemble), orchestra, wind ensemble, symphonic band, LUJE (Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble), Jazz Band, jazz combos, operas, musicals, and mixed chamber music. Many of these ensembles perform at local schools during the school year and on tours during breaks.

Lawrence University Percussion Ensemble LUPE is the classical percussion ensemble at Lawrence. All percussion majors participate in this group which performs a concert every term. The repertoire includes large ensembles (10-15 players), chamber works (for 3-6 players), and works that feature student soloists. Some recent works include:

Chamelon Music  Dan Welcher
Compendium Blake Williams
Conservatory Garden  Daniel Levitan
Descent Ken Schaphorst
Forests of the Sun  Tim Clark
Marimba Spiritual  Minoru Miki
Ogoun Badagris  Christopher Rouse
Perfectly Frank  Frankie Malabe and Daniel Levitan
Purge Anders Astrand
Quartz City  David Johnson
Septet Daniel Levitan
Six Marimbas  Steve Reich
Soulhouse Julie Spencer
Stained Glass  David R. Gillingham
The Phantom Dances  Michael Hennagin
The Whole Toy Laid Down  Dave Hollinden
Third Construction  John Cage
Tribeca Sunflower  Julie Spencer
Why Gernot Blume

Kinkaviwo Kinkaviwo, meaning Children of Kinka, is the African drumming ensemble at Lawrence. The group primarily performs music of the Ewe people from the Volta region of Ghana. The pieces include Adzogbo, Gahu, Adzrowo and Kinka. This style of music utilizes a call and response between the master or lead drum and the rest of the ensemble. All performances include singing, dancing and drumming, and students are encouraged to learn and perform these different elements.

Sambistas The Sambistas perform grooves from traditional Rio de Janeiro Carnaval Samba to Samba Reggae from Salvadaor, Bahia to originals, transcriptions and arrangements that include many different types of influences from Cuban to Indian Tabla drumming. Performing at a variety of events throughout the year, the Sambistas are one of the most popular student groups on campus and in the community.

Faculty

  • Dane Maxim Richeson

    Professor of Music

    Dane Richeson is Professor of Music at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he has been Director of Percussion Studies for 27 years. Under the direction of Mr. Richeson, the Lawrence University Percussion Ensemble (LUPE) has released two critically acclaimed CDs, and been awarded honors by the Wisconsin Music Educators Association and the Percussive Arts Society.

    Dane Richeson is recognized as one of the most versatile virtuosi in percussion. Throughout the world he has been featured in such diverse roles as solo marimbist, percussionist in contemporary music settings, world percussion specialist and jazz drummer. Performances have been with such diverse artists as Bobby McFerrin, Gordon Stout, Nancy Zeltsman, Gunther Schuller, Geoff Keezer, Joe Lovano, NDR Big Band of Germany, Roscoe Mitchell, Medeski-Martin-Woods, Kenny Wheeler, Uri Caine, and Lyle Mays. He regularly performs with the chamber ensembles CUBE (Chicago), The Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society (Madison, WI) and has been a featured marimba artist/teacher at several of the Zeltsman Marimba Festivals, the Ivana Bilic Marimba/Percussion Week in Croatia, and the Central Conservatory Chamber Music Festival in Beijing. Moreover, he has performed at festivals such as Ravinia, North Sea and Montreux Jazz Festivals, and Beijing Music Festival.

    Mr. Richeson has performed on numerous recordings including works on Blue Note Records, Origin Records, Klavier, Accurate, Mark, Naxos, A-Records, CRI, Albany, Innova, and A-440. In addition, Mr. Richeson has lived in three distinctly different cultures: Ghana, Africa, studying the music and dance of the Ewe people with master drummer Godwin Agbeli and gyil with Kakraba Lobi; Matanzas, Cuba where he studied with Afro-Cuban drummer Jesús Alfonzo, musical director of Los Muñiquitos de Matanzas and Daniel Alfonso; Salvador and São Paulo, Brazil where he studied the drumming traditions of the State of Bahia with Giba Conceicao and choro/MPB styles with Guello. This research was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts/Arts International and Lawrence University.

    Contact by e-mail: dane.m.richeson@lawrence.edu