Malmgren Concert Series: Organist Rhonda Sider Edgington and Percussionist Carolyn Koebel

This acclaimed duo will perform works for organ and percussion by Tokuhide Niimi, Hina Sakamoto, Chelsea Chen, and a newly commissioned piece by Connor Chee titled “Four Directions.” The program also includes Capriccio by Chen Yi for organ, percussion and choir that the guests will perform with the Hendricks Chapel Choir. Koebel will play a variety of percussion instruments, including the Taiko drum, a large traditional Japanese drum.

The Malmgren Concert Series of Hendricks Chapel has been made possible by a generous gift from Syracuse University alumna Ester Malmgren to Hendricks Chapel in 1991. The concert series offers the Syracuse community the highest quality of arts at no cost. See below for parking and accessibility information.

Parking is available in the Irving Garage. Visit parking.syr.edu for more information.

Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) and captioning will be provided. For more information or to request accommodations, contact Hendricks Chapel at 315.443.2901 or chapel@syr.edu.

Thunder & Wind combines the sonorities of some of the arguably loudest and most powerful instruments: the pipe organ, and a variety of percussion instruments, including Japanese Taiko drums. Carolyn Koebel and Rhonda Sider Edgington formed the duo Thunder & Wind in 2019 for a series of concerts featuring the music of Japan, involving Taiko drum ensemble, marimba, voice, piano, and organ. They performed this program as part of Kalamazoo’s Michigan Festival of Sacred Music, the Festival of the Arts at First United Methodist Church in Grand Rapids, University of Northern Iowa, and Hope College. They’ve also created a more eclectic program, including elements of rock and jazz, that has been performed at Trinity University and as part of the Ypsilanti Pipe Organ Festival. They were invited presenters at the University of Michigan’s 61st Annual Organ Conference. Carolyn and Rhonda look forward to premiering Native American composer Connor Chee’s newly commissioned work for their concert on the Malmgren Concert Series of Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University.

Carolyn Koebel holds degrees of distinction in percussion and music therapy from Western Michigan University and Michigan State University. She has become an in-demand performer/accompanist/educator across broad genres and styles of music. She has toured nationally and internationally with Rhonda Larson & Ventus, and given hundreds of concerts in the Celtic/world music ensembles Fonn Mor and An Dro. She currently teaches Japanese taiko drumming at Kalamazoo College and directs Michigan Hiryu Daiko. She is a faculty member at Western Michigan University and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, and a long-time hospice music therapist. She presently works extensively with Ugandan musician Samuel Nalangira, and enjoys new collaborations and artistic endeavors; she has released numerous recordings to-date. Learn more at www.carolynkoebel.com

Rhonda Sider Edgington is often commended for her innovative programming, colorful use of registrations, and exciting playing. Edgington has played recitals at venues such as St. Paul Cathedral Pittsburgh, Arizona State University, and the Cadet Chapel at West Point. She studied under a Fulbright scholarship with Prof. Harald Vogel and spent seven years in Bremen, Germany, performing, studying, and working as a church musician. She has been featured at national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists and Organ Historical Society, and is an avid collaborative musician. Rhonda is the Organist and Music Director at Hope Church in Holland, Organ Instructor at Calvin University, and maintains an active performing career as a soloist and also with Great Lakes Duo (with Brian Reichenbach, trumpet), featuring newly composed and discovered works by women composers. Find her online at http://rhonda.edgington.info or on Instagram as i_luv_Schnitgers

 

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