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Young musicians from WVU are bringing the world to Pocahontas County on Saturday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Opera House.

West Virginia Universityﾒs World Music Performance Center is home to many diverse ensembles, including the WVU Steel Drum Band, African Ensemble, and WVU Brazilian ensemble. Under the direction of Dr. Michael Vercelli, this concert will feature World Music ensembles from WVU performing a wide array of musical selections.

The WVU African Music and Dance Ensemble is an experiential ensemble, focusing its repertoire on the traditional and contemporary music of Africa and the Diaspora. The music is taught primarily through oral tradition allowing the members to experience the learning process without written music.

The WVU Steel Band program offers any students who show the ability and desire to perform on steel pans an opportunity to explore the traditions of the steel band music of the Caribbean island of Trinidad, as well as classical and popular arrangements and transcriptions.

The WVU Brazilian ensemble provides an opportunity for students to explore the rich musical traditions of Brazil including folkloric and popular styles, arrangements, and transcriptions.

The WVU Small Jazz Ensembles play a wide variety of styles including Bebop, Latin, Fusion, and avant garde. They perform jazz standards from the Great American Songbook as well as original compositions written by members of the bands.

Members of all ensembles are encouraged to use personal experiences from past years and abroad in shaping their performances. All ensembles are comprised of both undergraduates and graduate students from many disciplines across the WVU campus and are open to all WVU students.

Five of the WVU World Music ensembles will be spending Friday, October 21 presenting performances, workshops and hands-on demonstrations to students in grades K-12 at each of the five Pocahontas County Schools as part of the Pocahontas County Opera House Foundationﾒs Tune Travelers music outreach program.

Doors will open approximately one hour before the event. Tickets are $8. Students in grades K-12 are admitted free of charge. Advance tickets are available at pocahontasoperahouse.org.

The Pocahontas County Opera House is located at 818 Third Avenue in Marlinton. Performances at the Opera House are informal, family-friendly and open to all. The entrance and main seating are accessible to persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to attend; special accommodations can be arranged upon request by calling 304-799-6645.

The Opera House Performance Series is presented with financial assistance through a grant from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. Financial support is also provided by Pocahontas County Drama, Fairs and Festivals, Pendleton Community Bank, Glades Building Supply and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Saturday's public performance is made possible in part by the generous support of Dr. John Mallow, DDS.

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