University Concert Series experiences go off stage
Mizzou students attend masterclass with award-winning artist
Known for bringing world-class performers to mid-Missouri, the University Concert Series recently took one of these internationally acclaimed artists off the stage and into the classroom.
The morning after the Sowetto Gospel Choir’s high-energy performance in Jesse Auditorium, Sipho Ngcamu — one of the choir’s founding members — gave a masterclass to a small group of percussion students at Mizzou.
Ngcamu, a percussionist, dancer, and narrator of the Soweto Gospel Choir, introduced students to Guinean drumming. Students learned how rhythm, voice, and movement come together with a key focus on developing percussion accompaniment for choral works.
“It was inspiring to see talent, collaboration, and cultural exchange happening in one space,” said Megan Arns, co-interim associate director of the School of Music, associate professor of percussion, and director of percussion studies at Mizzou
This workshop was presented by the University Concert Series and sponsored by the City of Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs, the Missouri Arts Council, and Veterans United.
