The West Virginia University World Music Performance Center will present its fall World Music Showcase Concert at the Creative Arts Center, featuring the WVU African Music and Dance Ensemble, the WVU Steel Band, the WVU Brazilian Ensemble and the new WVU Bluegrass Band.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., Friday (Nov. 7), in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre.

Directed by Michael Vercelli and graduate students Jamie Sunshine and Mitch Greco, the concert will focus on contemporary arrangements for traditional ensembles, including music from Trinidad, Ghana, Guinea, Brazil and Appalachia.

“A special feature of this concert will be the WVU Bluegrass Band, a new ensemble under the direction of Travis Stimeling, assistant professor of music history,” Vercelli said. “The group highlights the best in traditional and contemporary bluegrass music.”

Vercelli, holds a doctorate of musical arts in ethnomusicology from the University of Arizona. He has studied the traditional music of other countries and completed fieldwork in Bali, Cuba, Brazil and Ghana.

Travis Stimeling is a native of West Virginia and holds a bachelor’s degree in music from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a master’s degree in music history from the WVU School of Music, and a doctorate in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on the history of country music, recording practice, and the intersections of music and environmental issues. He is active as a bluegrass and old-time musician.

Tickets for the World Music Showcase Concert are $10 for the general public and $5 for students. For tickets and information, contact the Mountainlair and CAC Box Office at 304-293-SHOW.

-WVU-

cl/11/05/14

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304.293.4359; Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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