The Lawrence University Percussion Ensemble (LUPÉ) will be among the featured performers at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention this November in Indianapolis, Ind., after winning the organization’s 2014 International World Percussion Ensemble Competition.
LUPÉ — comprising the Sambistas, a Brazilian drumming corps, Kinkaviwo, a Ghanaian drum and dance group and Tambotoke´, an Afro-Cuban group — was selected the winner from among submitted video tapes. The annual PAS-sponsored World Percussion Competition is open to high school and college/university ensembles performing non-Western percussion-based music. Lawrence’s submission was from its March 2014 concert in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.
It is the second time LUPE has won a PAS international competition under the direction of Professor of Music Dane Richeson. LUPE won the 1995 PAS collegiate percussion ensemble competition and performed at its international conference in Phoenix that year.
“I am so proud of my students and am honored to be recognized by the Percussive Arts Society for the second time,” said Richeson, who has directed Lawrence’s percussion studio since 1984. “Winning the World Percussion Ensemble Competition is a testament to the dedication and hard work our students put into learning these music traditions from Brazil, Ghana and Cuba. Many of the student directors of our ensembles have received grants to travel to these countries and study with master musicians similar to the ones I have had opportunities to study with during my sabbaticals there. It fills me with pride to see our students embrace this music as if it was from their own culture.”
The Percussive Arts Society International Convention is the world’s largest percussion event, featuring more than 120 concerts, clinics, master classes, labs, workshops, panels and presentations. Lawrence will perform at the convention with winners in other categories of PAS-sponsored competitions, including ensembles from the University of Kentucky, Oklahoma State University and Yale University.
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
