The Sam Houston State University student composer organization, Ars Perpetua, will capture the sound of this political season during their annual new music recital on Thursday, March 3.
The students in Ars Perpetua compose and perform classical pieces in collaboration with other departments and organizations on campus. The organization makes music for the Intersection New Music Collective and the student film organization, Raven Films.
There are several creative aspects that have gone into the plans for the concert, Graduate Assistant Jordan Hicks talked about what is on the schedule for Thursday evening.
“This semester, students have taken quotes from presidential candidates and written music based upon those quotes,” Ricks said. “The larger piece composed by the students of Ars Perpetua “What About the Rest of Us?” will be premiered, as well as several other chamber works.”
All of the pieces performed on Thursday were written by SHSU students and share the common theme of political statements. Several of these pieces have never been heard before.
Ricks also talked about some of the past collaborations that Ars Perpetua has done.
“We once did a collaboration with the dance department, where dancers interacted with the audience and performers on stage,” Ricks said. “We have also collaborated with the English department – we took short lines of poetry that English students posted on Twitter and set those poems to music.”
The organization has also worked with parts of the Huntsville community. Ars Perpetua has received local and national recognition for its chamber pieces and film scores. The organization has also worked with parts of the Huntsville community.
Ricks said it’s important for musicians to have a constructive musical community and Ars Perpetua provides that for students at SHSU.
“Music is our common bond, and it is so wonderful to be involved in a community where what we do is taken seriously and is appreciated,” Ricks said. “It is incredibly rewarding to experience the appreciation of our art during our lifetime – many musicians of the past never had that opportunity, and it is not something we take for granted.”
The performance will be held in the recital hall of the Gaertner Performing Arts Center and will begin at 6 p.m.