Sabbatical Recital by Dave Ballou, Department of Music, College of Fine Arts and Communication

Published by on January 29, 2025 12:00 am Comments Off on Sabbatical Recital by Dave Ballou, Department of Music, College of Fine Arts and Communication in General
Dave Ballou, Associate Professor in the Department of Music, presents his sabbatical recital on Wednesday, February 12, at 8:00pm in the Recital Hall, CA3066. The title of this performance is  “Detritus Suite”. 

Professor Dave Ballou’s sabbatical project for the spring of 2024 focused on the process of composing a suite of music for a 16-piece jazz orchestra. From studying the works and creative process of composers, Ballou developed his own approach to creating this large-scale work. The jazz orchestra version of the suite is in process; however, 8 pieces have been completed that form the structure of the suite. Tonight’s version of the suite will be performed by a group of faculty members from Towson’s Jazz/Commercial Music Program known as the Mike Kuhl Trio: Mike Kuhl on drums; John Lee on guitar and Dave Ballou on trumpet.

The title comes from contemplating the objects we leave behind. Quite often we experience these objects as trash or discarded junk. Through the experiences of hiking in the New Mexico back country and the work of visual artists such as Louis Nevelson, Ballou has become curious as to the background of these found objects. Although detritus generally refers to decaying or discarded objects, it can also refer to miscellaneous remnants. Rusting trucks in Patapsco State Park, 3000-year-old shrines in New Mexico, and notebooks left by an influence musician are some of the inspirations for this work.

This performance will be followed by a Q&A.

See event information HERE

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This post was written by Malkus, Laura K.