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Posted: 1/11/23

TAMIU Artist-in-Residence Holds Solo Percussion Concert Jan. 25

 

 Valerie Dee Naranjo
 

Globally acclaimed musician Valerie Dee Naranjo is set to perform during an upcoming solo percussion concert Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. at Texas A&M International University’s (TAMIU) Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Recital Hall.

Admission to the concert is free and open to the public.

Naranjo, TAMIU’s Artist in Residence, is a percussionist, vocalist, composer and clinician and is known for her pioneering efforts in West African keyboard percussion music. A prolific Broadway musician, she has performed The Lion King for over 24 years and has been part of NBC-TV’s Saturday Night Live band for 26 years. She has presented at hundreds of institutions, ranging from public schools, universities and conservatories. 

She has recorded alongside well-known musical acts like David Byrne, Philip Glass Ensemble, and Tori Amos, among others.

Originally from Southern Colorado, Naranjo moved to New York City after completing vocal and instrumental music education studies at the University of Oklahoma and Percussion Performance at Ithaca College.

In 1988 her playing of the gyil’s traditional repertoire in Ghana’s Kobine Festival of Traditional Music led to the declaration of a chiefly decree in the Dagara nation that women be allowed to play the instrument for the first time. 

Her recent film score recordings include Final Fantasy - The Dream Within and Frida. Her work and music have been written about in Modern Drummer, Drum!, Rhythm, Percussive Notes, and World Percussion Rhythm. She was named World Music Percussionist of the Year in 2005 and 2008, as winner of DRUM! magazine’s Reader’s Poll in that category.

She joined the University’s Artist in Residence program, which began in the Spring 2022 and is made possible through the College of Arts and Sciences. Through the residency, she has performed alongside student ensemble groups and taught music history and percussion ensemble courses. An upcoming clinic for high school music students is also being planned, as well as a concert slated for April 2023.

For more information, contact the College of Arts and Sciences, department of Fine and

Performing Arts, at 956.326.2654 or visit offices in the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, room 217.

Visit a Calendar of Events at  https://www.tamiu.edu/coas/fpa, or call the Events Hotline at 956.326.3044 for recorded information on upcoming events and offerings.

Spring Semester face to face classes begin Tuesday, Jan. 17. Late Registration continues through Jan. 23, 2023.   

Students can get a sneak peek at TAMIU’s Spring semester at https://www.tamiu.edu/newsinfo/spring-preview.shtml

To learn more about TAMIU’s Registration processes, visit the dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration. 

More on the University’s story is available at tamiu.edu and on the University’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.