On Tuesday, the North Dakota State Percussion Ensemble presented its spring recital.

The recital was held in Festival Concert Hall. Included in the performance were three additional groups and ensembles: the NDSU Trumpet Ensemble, the NDSU Winter Drumline and a marimba duo. The program featured a variety of selections, both standard and contemporary.

Percussion Ensemble is a course for which students register. It meets twice a week. No audition is required, and all musicians are welcome to enroll.

“We get both percussion majors and non-percussion majors,” Sigurd Johnson, director of the ensemble, said.

The ensemble holds two recitals in the spring and only one in the fall, “because of marching band.” Johnson selects music that not only challenges, but also engages his students. He incorporates both standard and contemporary pieces into the ensemble’s programs.

After the percussion ensemble’s program, the NDSU Trumpet Ensemble performed, with support from some percussionists, “Into the Blue” by Kevin McKee. Johnson believes it is important for individual ensembles to collaborate and perform together.

“It makes us feel like part of a family,” Johnson said.

The second-to-last performance featured Ciara Houser and Courtney Olson, each on marimba. They performed a fantasy on “Ghanina” by Matthias Schmitt. Notably, Houser and Olson arranged “Ghanina,” a solo, for two marimbas.

The recital concluded with a “funk show” by the NDSU Winter Drumline, which performed “Begin the Funk” by Nicholaus Meyers and “Let it Roll” by Elias Youngbloom. Youngbloom is a former NDSU student who lost his vision after an impaired driver crashed into his car.

For detailed information on upcoming concerts, recitals and events, please visit the NDSU Challey School of Music webpage at https://www.ndsu.edu/performingarts/music/.