Northwest Missouri State University’s Percussion Ensemble is returning to a University stage to present a concert featuring contemporary music and traditional Brazilian Samba.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, in the Charles Johnson Theater at the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building.

The Percussion Ensemble is under the direction of Dr. Caleb Pickering, an assistant professor of music at Northwest.

“This concert and all Northwest percussion events aren’t only performances but diverse celebrations of a variety of music written for our instruments by composers from numerous backgrounds,” Pickering said. “From traditional Brazilian Escuela de Samba music to contemporary percussion chamber music featuring live audio playback and sound manipulation, the Northwest Percussion Ensemble prides itself on exploring both traditional and modern works that will both entertain and challenge our audiences.”

The concert program will include David Skidmore’s “Ritual Music,” Dustin Schulze’s “Raspberry Tango,” Steve Reich’s “Clapping Music,” Reynaliz Herrera’s “Tres de Tres Para Tres,” Francisco Perez’s “Ephemera,” Ivan Trevino’s “Catching Shadows,” and Emma O’Halloran’s “Shell.”

Additionally, Zane Papek, a freshman mathematics major with a data science emphasis from Smithville, Missouri, will perform Russell Wharton’s “Deus Ex Metronome” and Pickering will perform O’Halloran’s “How Sweet the Thought of You as Infinite.”

The Northwest Percussion Ensemble is an audition-based group consisting of 11 students who perform world and contemporary music.

For more information about musical ensembles at Northwest, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/finearts/.