TERRE HAUTE — The Indiana State University Steel Band and Percussion Ensemble will perform at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in Room 159 of the Center for Performing and Fine Arts at Seventh and Chestnut streets.
The concert will feature a variety of music, including classical, samba and calypso, and the musical skills of ISU faculty guitarist Brent McPike.
McPike got his first full-time performing experience in 1987 as a guitarist at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va., selected by Busch Entertainment Corp.’s traveling audition tour. While working at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan, he got the opportunity to perform live on public radio, WBLV, with jazz clarinet legend Buddy DeFranco. Since the 1980s he has been in demand as classical guitarist, jazz guitarist, chamber musician, pit orchestra member and instructor.
McPike spent most of the 1990s at Indiana University where he studied with Ernesto Bitetti, David Baker and Luis Zea, and was coached in chamber music by notable musicians such as Helga Winold, Franco Gulli, Eugene Rousseau, and Rastislav Dubinski.
While in Bloomington, McPike met Brazilian guitar virtuoso/composer/arranger Marcos Cavalcante. He played guitar in Cavalcante’s Choro Band from 1993-1995.
In 2001 McPike moved to Terre Haute, where he serves as guitar instructor and guitar ensemble director at Indiana State. Since joining the Terre Haute community, McPike has performed for the Crossroads Repertory Theater, played numerous events with steel drum virtuoso Jimmy Finnie, and was the guest soloist for the Terre Haute Symphony’s 80th Anniversary Gala Celebration Concert in 2006. He performed Steve Reich’s “Electric Counterpoint for electric guitar and tape” at the 2009 ISU Contemporary Music Festival.
A supervised instrument petting zoo will be available for children at the end of the concert.
Admission is free. Call (812) 237-2737 or e-mail jfinnie@indstate.edu, for more information.
