So Percussion, an electric-sounding quartet, according to member Jason Treuting, will play a few pieces and discuss its musical history at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, in Sears Recital Hall.

According to Eileen Carr, coordinator of the University of Dayton Arts Series, the event will be divided into three 20-minute sections of music, discussion and then an open Q-and-A with some reception time to meet the quartet.

A free film screening of So's performance "It Is Time" will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, in ArtStreet Studio B.

The event with So is a part of the UD Arts Series' Career Conversations Series, Carr said.

"Career Conversations is an idea that has developed as a result of conversations between Sharon Grotto [chair of the department of music] and myself," Carr said. "We talked about the great artists that we bring onto campus with each of our concerts and how cool it would be if we could have them talk about how they got to where they are today. This is important because the nature of careers in music and other disciplines has really changed where career trajectories aren't a straight line anymore."

So will be this semester's Artist In Residence, in which it will separately collaborate with the UD Percussion Ensemble and an intern group from the Dayton Early College Academy, Carr said. The UD Percussion Ensemble will perform a piece of So's for the Celebration of the Arts, the opening event for the Stander Symposium, an annual showcase of research and scholarship. The DECA interns also will have a final performance which could be at the Dayton Art Institute.

So members Eric Beach, Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski and Treuting have been playing together since 1999 when they were all master's in percussion students at the Yale School of Music.

"In 13 years it's changed," Treuting said. "We went from an academic setting to more of what we wanted to do. From Yale we moved to Brooklyn in 2003 and got into the New York and Brooklyn music scenes. Now we tour all over the U.S., Canada and Europe."

So's music incorporates a lot of different instruments, sounds and music styles that make it feel unique, he said.

"We play your standard drums like drum set, bongos, congos, but also we use laptops for electronic sounds, guitar pedals to make our instruments sound funky, an amplified cactus and a musical saw," he said. "We do that a lot, but in a simple way. It's anything from what you'd find in a music store to what you'd find in your grandmother's basement."

Senior music therapy major Jacklyn Neforos saw So Percussion last year when the group gave a short presentation for her ArtStreet class. She said she was really impressed by the members' music and attitudes.

"They stretch music to its limits and redefine music and make people think," Neforos said. "Their attitude as a group is not super professional, but they were really relatable and down to earth. The whole feel of the group was my favorite thing. They really loved what they were doing."

According to Carr, this is the whole reason why the UD Arts Series is hosting So Percussion.

"You get a lot of career advice from different workshops, but ultimately when you're thinking about where you want to go in life, I think your ultimate goal in life should be about how you find your way in the world to make a living out of what you love to do, and these guys have found a way to do that," Carr said. "That's compelling."

"Career Conversations with So Percussion: Following the Beat of a Different Drummer" is a free event open to anyone, she said.

Carr said she encourages anyone, musicians and non-musicians alike, to check out the event.

"These are smart people making their way in the world, and they're great models for everyone," she said.

The event is supported by the Impact Project Grant from Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies Inc. and additional funding from the College of Arts and Sciences, Carr said.

The UD Arts Series is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an archive show beginning March 11 in the Roesch Library gallery. To view more upcoming Arts Series events, visit artsseries.udayton.edu or call 937-229-2787.



So Percussion, a percussion quartet whose members met at the Yale School of Music, is this semester's Artist In Residence. The group will perform several numbers and discuss its musical origins at an event, Wednesday, Jan. 25.