Alumnus, graduate percussion ensemble on campus for concert, master class April 19–20

University of Maine alumnus and percussion professor Scott Horey and his graduate percussion ensemble from the University of Science and Arts of Chiapas, Mexico, will be at his alma mater April 19–20 for a live performance, master class and international cultural exchange trip at the School of Performing Arts.

April 20 at 7:30 p.m., Horey and his ensemble will perform a free public concert in Minsky Recital Hall featuring a mix of contemporary and pop, traditional Mexican and classical music genres. 

April 19 at 3 p.m., Horey and his graduate students will lead a master class and conversation about arts, international cultural exchange and musical camaraderie in Class of 1944 Hall, room 102.

Horey, who studied under UMaine percussion professor Stuart Marrs and graduated from UMaine in 2007, is a professor of percussion at the Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas (UNICACH), and adjunct professor through distance learning at Southwest Minnesota State University. He regularly gives guest educational presentations locally in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico, as well as nationally and internationally. His strongest passions in music and teaching include classical and contemporary-classical music, progressive rock and jazz fusion, mind/body “holistic” awareness and cross-cultural understanding. Horey typically performs on solo marimba or as a drummer. 

“The four years I spent at UMaine studying with Stuart Marrs was a big turning point in my life and key to my early development as an artist and teacher,” Horey noted, ahead of his 2019 solo concert on campus. “I feel so lucky to have had a very supportive program on an inspiring campus on which to learn, grow, cultivate and blossom.”

The Graduate Percussion Quartet of UNICACH comes from a long tradition of excellence in one of the most important places in the historical development of the marimba. Largely considered one of the best percussion schools in Mexico, UNICACH has trained countless young marimba players and percussionists in the study of traditional Mexican marimba from Chiapas, classic marimba, contemporary marimba, solo contemporary percussion and orchestral percussion.

“The imperative for international cultural understanding and exchange has never been greater than it is today. I am thrilled that we are able to host the University of Chiapas Graduate Percussion ensemble, with its director and UMaine alumnus, Dr. Scotty Horey, for a conversation about the value of international exchange and a powerful concert blending music from both Mexican and American popular cultures,“ says Stuart Marrs, UMaine professor of percussion.

The events are presented with the generous support of the Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Series, the UMaine School of Performing Arts, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center.

For more information about Horey, visit his website. For more about the clinic and concert, contact brian.jansen@maine.edu. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Birdie Sawyer, fredrick.sawyer@maine.edu.