EUGENE–World premieres of works for Balinese gamelan, a benefit Faculty Artist Series string recital, "Highlife" jazz from West Africa and original compositions by graduate music students will take center stage during the four concerts scheduled this week at the University of Oregon School of Music, 961 E. 18th Ave.

For more information, call the UO School of Music weekdays at (541) 346-5678. To confirm concert times and ticket information, call GuardLine from a Touch-Tone phone at 485-2000, ext. 2533, for a 24-hours-a-day taped message of the week’s events.

The Pacific Rim Gamelan, directed by Associate Professor Robert Kyr, will give a concert of world premieres for gamelan at 8 p.m. in Beall Concert Hall, 961 E. 18th Ave. Tickets, available at the door, are $5 general admission and $3 for students and senior citizens.

The Pacific Rim Gamelan is an Indonesian percussion orchestra consisting of 20 members who perform on the beautifully crafted instruments of a Balinese gamelan. The metal xylophones, gongs and drums produce a rhythmic and colorful music of bell-like textures and deep gong resonances. The members of the ensemble are UO student composers who write for the gamelan.

Among the world premieres to be performed are "Airavata" by Spencer Lambright, "Insect Garden" by Joe Waters, "Two Travelling Songs" by Jeffrey Radcliffe, "Turning" by Christopher Randall, "Displaced Fuzz" by Nathan Linscheid and "Fantasia on a Balinese Court Melody" by Geoffrey Hamilton.

The Oregon String Quartet will give a Faculty Artist Series recital at 8 p.m. in Beall Hall. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the local chapter of Phi Beta, professional fraternity for men and women in creative and performing arts. Tickets, available at the door or in advance from members of Phi Beta, are $7 general admission and $4 for students and senior citizens.

The quartet will perform "Quartet in F Major" by Haydn and "Grosse Fugue" by Beethoven. They will be joined by pianist Victor Steinhardt for Dvorak’s "Piano Quintet in A Major."

The Oregon String Quartet is one of the flagship ensembles at the School of Music. Its members are Associate Professor Kathryn Lucktenberg, violin; Assistant Professor Fritz Gearhart, violin; Associate Professor Leslie Straka, viola; and Associate Professor Steven Pologe, cello.

Lucktenberg received her bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music. She has participated regularly at the Marlboro and Grand Teton music festivals. As a former member of the Kasimir String Quartet, she performed throughout much of the United States and in Europe. She was concertmaster of the Honolulu Symphony from 1982—1993.

Gearhart received his master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music and has performed in major concert halls around the country, including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall and the Kennedy Center. Prior to joining the UO music faculty, Gearhart was first violinist with the Chester String Quartet.

Straka holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Arizona State University. She has been a featured artist at the Luzerne Chamber Music Center in New York, the Miami Bach Society, the Mainly Mozart and Flagstaff festivals in Arizona, and the York Festival in England.

Pologe received his professional degrees from the Eastman School of Music and from the Juilliard School. He has played with the Rochester and Buffalo philharmonics and the Brooklyn Philharmonia. He has served as principal cellist with the New York String Ensemble, Rome Festival Orchestra, Aspen Chamber Orchestra, Honolulu Symphony and the Philharmonic Symphony of Westchester.

The Oregon Composers Forum presents a performance of new music by graduate composition students at 8 p.m. in Beall Concert Hall. Admission is free.

Selections on the program include "Psalm 51:17 Faith" by Chris Randall, "Ruru Mwana Koma" by Timothy Njoora, "Theme and Variations for Wind Quintet" by Mindra Calabrese, "Quiet Music–Early Morning" by Joseph Waters, and "Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead" by Bernard Scherr.

Blema Bii (BLAY-muh BEE), an African jazz ensemble based in Portland, will be featured along with UO jazz combos at "The Jazz Café" beginning at 8 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge at Gerlinger Hall, 1468 University St. Tickets, available at the door, are $5 general admission and $3 for students and seniors. Light food and beverages will be available for purchase during the evening.

The program will include not only music by Blema Bii, but also original material and arrangements by student composers. The event is co-sponsored by the Erb Memorial Union Cultural Forum.

Blema Bii combines the rhythms of Africa, the Caribbean, the song form of the French Impressionists, jazz and the popular songs of the Americas. The name "Blema Bii" comes from the Ga language of Ghana in West Africa, and means "Ancient Ones." In Ghana, it is believed that all musicians have ancient souls.

Blema Bii plays a hybrid style of music, combining jazz and traditional West African drumming–a musical style known as "Highlife" in West Africa. In the late 19th century, French composers such as Debussy, Ravel and Faure were the first to consciously study and celebrate African rhythms in their compositions, just as Post-Impressionist painters like Picasso celebrated and incorporated traditional African styles into their art. American song composers of the early 20th century, like Gershwin and Kern, paid tribute to the African roots of jazz as well.

The three musicians in Blema Bii are Israel Nii Annoh on percussion, UO jazz pianist Gary Versace and John Gross, the band’s originator, on tenor saxophone.

Annoh was born and raised in Ghana. Although a master of traditional West African drumming, he grew up listening to various jazz artists on the radio. When Gross suggested forming a group that would reveal and celebrate the West African roots of jazz, he jumped at the chance.

Gross has played saxophone professionally for nearly 40 years, including gigs with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Johnny Mathis, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Shelly Manne and many others.

Versace, a classically trained pianist from the Eastman School of Music, has been on the UO jazz faculty since 1993. He was recently featured with jazz legend Marian McPartland in a sold-out Eugene concert.

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