Iktus Combo to Perform in Lecture-Concert Series

JONESBORO – Iktus Combo, a New York City-based contemporary music ensemble, will present the next concert in the Lecture-Concert Series at Arkansas State University Thursday, Feb. 18.

Admission is free to the concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Recital Hall.

The concert will be presented with additional support from the Department of Music, the College of Fine Arts, the Society of Composers, Inc., chapter, and A-State Bands.

"We are tremendously pleased to host Iktus Combo.  This is a really fantastic opportunity to experience a dynamic, professional ensemble of extremely high-caliber players from one of the world's foremost centers of contemporary music, and we're very excited to have them here in Jonesboro," commented Dr. Daniel Tacke, assistant professor of music theory and composition.

"The group will present an electrifying program of new and recent works featuring their unusual combination of instruments (saxophone, guitar, piano, and percussion), drawing on a variety of stylistic idioms from minimalism to more experimental practices," he added.

The concert will include music by Louis Andriessen, Philippe Hurel, Mikel Kuehn, and Eric Wubbels, as well as the world premiere of a new work by Tacke.

An ensemble of saxophone, electric guitar, piano and percussion, Iktus Combo has been called a "slick combination of classical music and straight up rock-n-roll. Smart, gritty, elegant, head-bopping – a chamber group of today, comfortable in electric and acoustic worlds."

While repertoire for the full quartet is abundant, this flexible ensemble breaks down into smaller groupings – featuring duos of acoustic guitar/piano and saxophone/percussion. The performers, each highly skilled in their craft, hold performance degrees from top programs across the country.

The Lecture-Concert Series serves Arkansas State and the surrounding communities by bringing notable guest speakers and performers of diverse backgrounds and wide appeal to the campus, according to , Dr. Tim Crist, Lecture-Concert Committee chair.  Many of the Lecture-Concert Series events include additional campus activities as well as community outreach projects. 

For more details about the series, interested individuals may visit the Lecture-concert Series website, http://www.astate.edu/lectureconcert, or contact Crist, tcrist@astate.edu, (870) 972‑2094.

Members of Iktus Combo

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