Southern Oregon University will host the 2025 Northwest Percussion Festival from Friday, April 4 - Sunday, April 6. Hosted by Dr. Terry Longshore, Professor of Music, Artist in Residence, and Director of Percussion Studies, the 3-day festival will celebrate its 40th anniversary, and feature world-renowned guest artists and nine university percussion ensembles from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. All concerts are free and open to the public, no tickets needed.

Guest artists include: Aiyun Huang, Geneva International Music Competition winner and Professor of Percussion at University of Toronto; Mark Applebaum, the “mad scientist of music” and Professor of Composition at Stanford University; and the dynamic Portland Percussion Group. All events are at the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University in the Music Recital Hall or the SOU Main Stage Theatre (see indicated per event listing) and are free admission with no tickets required. Parking is Free in Lot #36 across from the Music and Theatre Buildings. 

The festival opens on Friday, April 4 at 7:30pm with a performance by the host ensemble, the Southern Oregon University Percussion Ensemble, directed by Terry Longshore. Highlighting the eclectic and diverse percussion studies program at SOU, the ensemble will perform a dynamic program entitled “Full Circle: Round Trip" and include:

• "Main Bersama-Sama" (“Playing Together”) by Lou Harrison, (for Sundanese gamelan degung) featuring euphonium soloist Dr. Alexander Gonzalez, SOU Director of Bands, and flute soloist Breckin Moore, SOU music student
• "a series of accidents" by Shaun Tilburg  (for percussion quartet)
• "recover" by Aeryn Santillan (for percussion trio)
• "Cepheid Variables" by Michael Oesterle (for percussion quartet with quarter-tone glockenspiel soloist) featuring Aiyun Huang
• "30: The First Decade & The Third Decade" by Mark Applebaum, with Aiyun Huang, soloist
• The world premiere of "Playing Dead" by Bryan Jeffs, SOU Raider Band Director and Adjunct Instructor of Music
• The U.S. Premiere of "Flambè Spring Breeze" by Aiyun Huang, performed by Huang and Terry Longshore
• Two pieces performed by Maraval Road Steel Band: "Rant and Rave" by Christopher "Tambu" Herbert, arr. Shelly Irvine and "Pan Can Jam!" By Tracy Thornton, arr. Steve Popernack
• "Brazilian Carnava" samba music that members of the ensemble learned at the 2025 Mardi Gras Brazil Carnaval Conference in New Orleans

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL: The Northwest Percussion Festival was founded in 1985 by Dr. John Baldwin (Boise State University), Professor Charles Dowd (University of Oregon), and Professor Martin Zyskowski (Eastern Washington University) to give classical percussion ensembles from around the Northwest region a chance to perform for one another and exchange repertoire ideas.  The weekend also provides an opportunity for students and their directors to meet in and socialize in an informal environment, and for the music director-conductors of the ensembles to perform solo pieces for the students.  The continued growth and success of the NWPF each year is a tribute to the dedication and commitment of the Northwest's percussionists to the advancement of the percussive arts.

All concerts are free and open to the public.

WEEKEND CONCERTS AND SCHEDULE

Friday, April 4, 2025 at 7:30pm

SOU Percussion Ensemble performs - MRH

Saturday, April 5 Schedule of Events and Free performances (MRH indicated Music Recital Hall). No tickets needed. 

9:00am - Eastern Washington University - MRH

10:00 - Boise State University - MST

11:00 - University of Oregon - MRH

12:00pm - University of Washington - MST

2:30 - Guest Artist Concert - Portland Percussion Group featuring soloists mackxswell & Terry Longshore - MRH

3:30 - Guest Artist Presentation: Mark Applebaum - MST

4:30 - Guest Artist Master Class - Aiyun Huang - MRH

8:00 - Directors Recital - MRH

Sunday, April 6 Schedule of Events and Free performances (MRH indicated Music Recital Hall). No tickets needed. 

9:00am - Oregon State University - MST

10:00 - Portland State University - MRH

11:00 - Western Oregon University - MST

12:00 - Central Washington University - MRH

1:00 - Festival End

For more info about the NW Percussion Festival Organization, please visit: https://www.nwperc.org/ or contact Dr. Terry Longshore at longshore@sou.edu