Dr. Jesse Willis
Lee University’s Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Andrew Harnsberger, will perform in concert with guest artist Dr. Jesse Willis on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Conn Center.
The concert will feature the world premiere of “Unbreakable,” a piece composed by Dr. Harnsberger. In addition to traditional Brazilian music, there will be music by Mark Ford, Francisco Perez, Joe Tompkins, and Nebojsa Zivkovic.
Dr. Harnsberger, associate professor of percussion and percussion coordinator at Lee, is active throughout the year as a freelance percussionist and recitalist. He is a performing artist and clinician for Malletech mallets and musical instruments, Remo Drum Heads, Sabian Cymbals, Ltd., and Grover Pro Percussion.
Dr. Harnsberger earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he also received the prestigious Performer's Certificate.
Dr. Willis is currently an associate professor of music at Coastal Carolina University (CCU) in Conway, South Carolina. He is also a Yamaha Performing Artist, an educational endorser for Vic Firth and Remo, and the vice president of the South Carolina Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society.
At CCU, Dr. Willis is the director of percussion studies and is the artistic director of the CCU Percussion Ensemble and CCU World Percussion Ensemble. Under his direction, these ensembles have been invited to perform showcase concerts at PASIC, SCMEA and several Percussive Arts Society State Day of Percussion events.
Dr. Willis earned his doctorate from Texas Tech University, his master’s degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and two bachelor’s degrees, also from Texas Tech University.
The Lee University Percussion Ensemble performs challenging and interesting percussion literature involving a wide variety of percussion instruments and has rapidly developed a reputation for musical excellence and expertise, according to Dr. Harnsberger.
The concert is free, non-ticketed, and open to the public.
For more information, contact the Lee University School of Music at 614-8240 or at music@leeuniversity.edu.