NATCHITOCHES – The Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra will present a concert on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. Tickets are $16.50 each and are available at https://nnssla.org/ticket-sales/p/one-1-ticket-102924-american-liberty-concert-9ke5n-5ka96-at9za-2ec6n-8ta35-hkpwd-mdmla. Northwestern State University, BPCC@NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts students are admitted free with a current student I.D. Dr. Douglas Bakenhus, musical director of the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra, will give a pre-concert talk at 7 p.m.
Andrej Kurti is assistant conductor. Maira Avellaneda and Alejandro Restrepo are graduate assistant conductors.
The concert is titled “American Reflections” and will feature NSU Associate Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies Dr. Oliver Molina performing “Concerto for Marimba” by American composer Kevin Puts. Also, on the program is Aaron Copland’s “John Henry,” George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris Suite” and Charles Ives’ “The Camp Meeting” that contains several familiar early American hymns. The program concludes with Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture.”
“The concerto by Kevin Puts is a work which showcases the beautiful tone of rosewood bars with the sounds of a full symphony orchestra,” said Molina. “Puts creates memorable melodies across the ensemble with the marimba soloist filling out the rhythm and harmony with a plethora of notes. The piece has proven been a challenge to learn but a very rewarding one that I look forward to presenting.”
Molina is an active percussion performer, educator, arranger, adjudicator and clinician. He has presented and performed at various state Day of Percussion events, PASIC, the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy Midwest and other music conferences and festivals. Recently, Molina was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach and research in the Philippines in the spring of 2027. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Iowa under Dr. Dan Moore. Additionally, he is a founding member of the Omojo Percussion Duo and the Ninkasi Percussion Group. Molina serves on the board of advisors for the Percussive Arts Society and the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy. His professional affiliations include the Percussive Arts Society, the National Association for Music Education, the National Society for Steel Band Educators and the College Music Society.