Created in the Spring 2005 semester at the NIU School of Music, thanks in part to an NIU CIUE Grant, the NIU Berimbau Ensemble (now known as the NIU Bau House) is dedicated to the creation, performance and divulgation of new repertoire for berimbau sextet.
Although the berimbau is played in ensembles in the context of Capoeira Angola, there is currently no other group pioneering and championing music of this variety. The sounds are powerful, fresh and unique.
The group has already had the opportunity to represent NIU on the local, regional, national and international stage. Performance highlights of 2009 included:
January 24 - Illinois Chapter of Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion, NIU
January 29 – Illinois Music Educator’s Association State Convention, Peoria, IL
May 28 – 1st International Percussion Ensemble Festival, San José, Costa Rica
October 23 – Performance at the NIU ArtLab Symposium, Barsema Alumni Center
November 11 – PASIC, Focus Day, “The Global Economy”, Indianapolis, IN
November 12 – PASIC, NIU Showcase Concert, Indianapolis, IN
Commissioned works include:
2005 – Berimbau Sextet, by Charles D. Bayne
2006 – Repercussio, by Alexandre Lunsqui
2007 – Arpa, by Tobias Wagner
2009 – Rotations, by Miles Okazaki
Check out our latest work, Rotations, on YouTube!
As of the Spring Semester 2010, the name of the group is now the NIU Bau House, a playful take on the spirit of the famous German Art School of the first half of the 20th Century. NIU student and ensemble member, Daniel Pratt, made the suggestion somewhat tongue-in-cheek while taking a course on 20th Century Art History that semester. Piet Mondrian was an important early influence on the color courses and concepts used at the Bauhaus. When I told the group about this connection, NIU student and ensemble member, Daniel Eastwood, took it one step further and created a colorful design for our berimbau gourds based on Mondrian’s mature style. Knowing that Capoeira schools in Brazil and elsewhere are often identified by their colors and that these colors very often end up painted onto their berimbaus, I gave Daniel permission to paint the group’s gourds. They are beautiful.
