Maraca2 -- The rising star British percussion duo launches its tour of the United States right here at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Events are free and open to the public. (Photo provided) Download Photo Here
August 28, 2009
British percussion duo to teach, perform at SIUC
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Equally at home in a concert hall or a dance club, Maraca2, a British percussion duo, will add Altgeld Hall at Southern Illinois University Carbondale to its list of concert venues in mid-September.
The duo will be in residence Sept. 17-18 as part of their tour of the United States. The public event schedule here includes:
• Lecture/moderated discussion, 2-2:50 p.m., Sept. 17
• Clinic/master class, 6-8 p.m., Sept. 17
• Concert, 7:30 p.m., Sept. 18
All of these events are set for Altgeld Hall, Room 112.
The duo is Tim Palmer and Jason Huxtable, who met as undergraduates at the Birmingham Conservatoire. When not on the road, Palmer is a visiting tutor at his alma mater, teaching mallet and solo performance. Huxtable holds several teaching posts, including his alma mater and Coventry University. Both Palmer and Huxtable maintain vigorous performance schedules, both separately and together, performing solo and with musical ensembles from heavy metal to symphonic.
Maraca2 has performance credits at some of the most prestigious British venues, and its performance at the International Percussion Festival in Patagonia, Argentina, merited a standing ovation.
The duo opens its tour of the United States here in Carbondale. Other stops include universities in Missouri, Iowa, Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas and more. In November, the SIUC Percussion Group will debut a work commissioned by Maraca2 for this U.S. tour.
Critics refer to their performances as “adrenaline-fueled” and demonstrating “artistic wizardry.”
The SIUC events are free. The Fine Arts Activity Fee makes the Maraca2 visit possible.