The Furman University Percussion Ensemble
PAS International Percussion Ensemble Competition Showcase Concert

10am, Friday, November 13th, 2026
Main Stage
Indiana Convention Center

Tour Performances:

6pm, Saturday, November 7th
Daniel Recital Hall
Furman University

12:30pm, Monday, November 9th
Lexington High School (Lexington, SC)
Ben Berry, host

11:30am, Tuesday, November 10th
Milton High School (Milton, GA)
Kevin Kenney, host

6:00pm, Wednesday, November 11th
Center Grove High School (Greenwood, IN)
Josh Torres, host

From the Chair                                                      
Furman University Department of Music

The Percussion Ensemble at Furman University continues to exemplify all that we strive for at Furman: High-impact, engaged learning through research, close faculty mentorship, and a continuous set of challenges that build skill and resilience. We promise every Furman student the opportunity to engage in real-world experiences that connect back to classroom and studio learning. 

Our Percussion Ensemble performing at PASIC as one of three winners of the International Percussion Ensemble Competition is the living embodiment of The Furman Advantage. Students in our Department of Music have consistent opportunities to develop discipline, sustain hard work in and out of the classroom, foster their creativity, and form life-long connections with faculty, fellow students, and alumni. 

Dr. Omar Carmenates provides transformational leadership and mentorship for this world-class ensemble, and what you hear today is the product of many years of cultivation. We are unbelievably proud of the students in our department, both for their excellence, but also for their character and the community they create. They have inherited a tradition of excellence and build upon it year after year. Students, your university is cheering for you back in Greenville! To those in Indianapolis, we hope you enjoy the results of our team’s efforts.

Randall Umstead
Chair and Professor, Department of Music
The Gordon and Sarah Herring Chair

PROGRAM

Music for Wood and Strings: Section 5 (2013) 
Bryce Dessner

Notes

Unreliable Narrator*^ (2026)
Cassie Wieland

My ego has her own story, one that I’d rather believe

I know it can’t always be true, but I like to think that I’m doing my best.

I like to think we are all doing our best

I Still Believe In Our City (2022)
Christine Araoka

Commissioned by Southern California Marimba

Notes

Vestiges*^ (2026)
Jensen L. Thomassie

Notes

A “vestige” is a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something vanished or lost. In Vestiges, the word is used more so as a nod to our past and how it manifests itself in our present. We have all encountered individuals, mentors, friends, teachers, and colleagues who have left a mark on us, and we can see those “vestiges” appear in our work currently.

When I was asked to write a piece for Furman University’s 2026 PASIC IPEC showcase concert by Dr. Omar Carmenates, one of my most influential mentors, I knew that I wanted the piece to relate to my relationship with Furman, Dr. C, and the influences that Furman Percussion has had on my life and career.

When I think of the “vestiges” I gained from my time with Furman Percussion, I think of things like an appreciation for composers from all walks of life, an appreciation for electronics and electronic influences, and an appreciation for the “process”. I am constantly reminded of these “vestiges” as I work with my students, work with commissioning artists and ensembles, and work to better myself as a musician and educator.

This piece is dedicated to Dr. Omar Carmenates for his mentorship, influence, inspiration, and the many “vestiges” that I am forever grateful for.

Sidechained (2025)
Omar Carmenates

commissioned by 3D Percussion

Notes

Sidechained - for percussion trio with live audio processing - holds a dual-namesake from the fields of audio production and chemistry. In audio terms, "Sidechaining" is a process where a parameter of a particular track, such as its volume, is affected by the level of a different track. One of the most classic examples of this process is the ubiquitous "pumping" sound in Electronic Dance Music wherein the volume of a synthesizer or bass line is momentarily lowered via a compressor each time a kick drum note sounds. In chemistry however, a "side chain" is a type of chemical offshoot emerging from the central part of a molecule called the "main chain" or backbone.

Sidechaining, in audio terms, sits at the core of the piece's technological and compositional process in that every electronic sound in this piece (with only a few brief exceptions) is "played" live via sidechain-gating. In this particular sidechaining method, a number of audio tracks run silently via a gate alongside the live performers, and only sound when their corresponding (i.e. - sidechained) physical instrument plays. The process is initially presented quite simply, with a lone Moog bass being sounded by a live kick drum, but quickly spirals into much more complex electro-acoustic relationships. The end result is that the piece's electronic elements become a fourth performer; one that has a relatively predetermined part, but that also responds and adapts to the other performers' input in real-time

Alternatively, the chemical concept of a side chain serves as the core rhythmic and structural inspiration for this piece, with its "main chain"  being a rhythmic structure of 5-5-7, 5-5-7, 5-5-7-7 that acts as the backbone of the entire piece. This structure manifests itself both in a rhythmic ostinato present throughout the piece and also in the time signatures utilized. From this backbone extends a number of other "side chains": rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic ideas that move the piece forward but remain steadfastly tied to the "main chain" structure. 

Many thanks are due to 3D Percussion for commissioning and premiering the piece and to my students for patiently workshopping the piece in its early stages. 

Blood Moon* (2026)
Ian Chang

Notes

Blood Moon derives its name and inspiration from the iconic recurring scene in the video game "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." Compositionally, the work is scored for four performers performing a mixture of acoustic percussion and electronic percussion including a MalletStation, drums outfitted with Sunhouse Sensory Percussion sensors, and other MIDI controllers. All of the electronic elements of the piece are performed in real-time using these instruments, and are also manipulated live with via expression pedals mapped to various audio parameters.

Blood Moon was commissioned by the Furman University Percussion Ensemble with support from the Furman Student Government Association. 

Coiled*^ (2026)
Maria Finkelmeier

Notes

The sound of a slinky cascading down a flight of stairs is a childhood memory that lives rent free in my brain. When I recently heard my kids attempting that perfectly timed descent at our house, I was transported back to the same playful state. Listening to their delight as they discovered this decidedly old-school toy, I knew I needed a few slinkies of my own.

I immediately ordered a collection of metal coils and began experimenting in my studio.

Approaching this toy as a composer and percussionist brought both joy and frustration. The perfect cascade of an extra-long slinky was deeply satisfying. Moments later, the same slinky would stretch or knot, bringing my experiments to an abrupt halt. Two ideas emerged from this process: momentum and entanglement. What does it feel like to move freely, trusting one step to carry us into the next? And what happens when our intentions get entangled or purpose gets misplaced?

COILED, commissioned by the Furman Percussion Studio, explores these questions with plenty of playfulness. Four performers are featured using illuminated slinkies and “zip-zaps,” stretched slinkies attached to large drums that function like enormous spring drums. Their sounds range from delicate metallic pops to thunderous rumbles, giving this familiar toy many voices. 

Spoken word material adds to the entanglement. The use of the human voice grew from my fascination with the overlap between percussive and vocal timbres. While brainstorming, I kept saying “coiled” to myself until the word became its own little instrument: two crisp consonants surrounding a round, elastic “oil.” I recorded myself exaggerating its pronunciation, then sliced and manipulated the recordings in Ableton to generate rhythmic and melodic material for the piece.

Interlocking crotale melodies and grooves propel the music forward, while the nuanced sounds of WTF Percussion’s amplified chains and coil bring playful textures to its relentless energy. What begins in mystery builds toward an explosive ending, its momentum undeniable, reminding us that even when entangled, we can find unison.

* Indicates Work Commissioned by the Furman University Percussion Ensemble

^ Indicates World Premiere Performance

The Furman University Percussion Ensemble would like to thank the following for their musical, financial, and logistical support: 

• Randall Umstead, Gordon and Sarah Herring Chair, Department of Music
• Emily Sweezey, Director of Operations, Department of Music
• The Furman Undergraduate Research Office, Chris Alvin, director
• The Furman Student Government Association
• Sue Samuels, Director of Bands, and David Stanley, Director of Athletic Bands
• John Harris, Professor of Mathematics and Truck Driver Extraordinaire
• Matt Skowronski, for building our custom set of Chord Sticks for Bryce Dessner's Music for Wood and Strings.
• So Percussion, for allowing us to visit a rehearsal to model and measure their original set of Chord Sticks. 
• Avneesh Babar at D'Addario & Co. and Patrick Cleland at Sunhouse, Inc. for the technical and logistical support. 
• Adrian Valderrama (https://adrianrae.co/) for designing our programs and other digital materials
• John Beckford, Retired Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Percussion
• All of our colleagues, family, friends, and alumni who have offered their advice, encouragement, and wisdom in preparation for this concert.