By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
HIP, mid-Michigan's Hohner Institute of Percussion, considers "anything fair game."
So in addition to all the handmade steel drums, marimbas, vibraphones (metal bars with fans underneath to produce a vibrato), xylophones and glockenspiel, HIP seasoned Saturday night's finale to the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival at Southwestern Michigan College with some piano - technically a percussion instrument - upright bass, electric bass, vocals, even a tuba solo by the bass player, who's actually a trombonist.
And for the second encore, inspired by "Stomp," they played two rows of frying pans with great skill(et).
Their motto seems to be, if two mallets are good, four would be better.
HIP played everything but the kitchen sink, and we weren't certain about that, so we checked with Director Jeffrey A. White just in case.
HIP opened with a thunderous female timpani trio, "Lift Off," followed by "Uneven Souls" and "Alma Nao Tem Cor," and then, after three tunes, it was intermission already.
The second half consisted of "Lioness Hunt," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," White's arrangement of Norah Jones' "Nightingale," "Lochs of Dread" and Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough," both arranged by Chris Ozinga, and closed the written portion of the program with "Why Not?"
The first encore, Stevie Wonder's "I Wish," was reprised after the "Stomp" interlude. By that time the crowd just stayed on its feet, panting for more.
County Commissioner Terri Kitchen, executive director of the foundation at Southwestern Michigan College, which sponsored the performance, introduced HIP, whose performers include her daughter, Heather, who got involved by attending its summer camp.
Pughs, Judds, Azevedos, Nelsons and Kruegers hosted percussionists Friday night.
Members of the ensemble come from CMU, MSU, Alma College and the University of Western Ontario.
HIP's purpose is to increase awareness of percussion by performing in schools, colleges and universities throughout Michigan.
Aaron Heeter's
At intermission, Dogwood Fine Arts Festival President Rich Frantz said, "Dogwood's about raising interest in the arts of students. That's our main mission. I'd like to tell you about a success story we just found out about. One of our former student rep board members, Aaron Heeter, a good friend of the festival, just got hired by Oprah Winfrey."
Frantz continued, "This is my opinion. Do not hold the other board members responsible for this. A simple fact, the Dogwood Festival has been instrumental in transforming this community. This festival has raised awareness and appreciation for the arts in Dowagiac for the past 14 years. Some of those pretty tough years. It has made known that wonder is found not only on playing fields, but in concerts, dance recitals, books, stories and the visual arts.
Frantz asked board members, volunteers, ushers, performers, "anyone who has worked on the Dogwood this year," to stand. "They account for about 10,000 hours of service."
HIP consists of Jill Ball, Johanna Bedhuhn, Scott Brown, Jason Byma, Jake Finkbeiner, Julie Gyssler, John Hill, Katie Hoyt, Eric Jones, Trevor Kalthoff, Brian Kilday, Heather Kitchen, Michelle Martin, Matt McLaughlin, Joe Mundy, Antosia L. Myers, Chris Ozinga, Megan Rinard, Andrew Smith, Lee Smith, Tim Streasick, Brett Tomlin, Corrine L. Wagner, Lindsay Wagner and Kyle Welfare.
White said the performance entered the planning stages last August.