WT Electronic Ensemble to Create New Music Inspired by PPHM

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — The West Texas A&M University Electronic Ensemble will pay tribute to a Canyon landmark at its first concert of the academic year.

The ensemble will perform at 6 p.m. Sept. 15 in the north parking lot at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 2503 Fourth Ave. in Canyon.

Admission is free. For information, call 806-651-2840.

“This performance will utilize the unique sonic space created by PPHM as it frames the open grassy area between the museum, the Geneva Schaffer Education Building, Old Main and Old Sub,” said director Dr. Ryan Ingebritsen, assistant professor of music. “This place has been the setting for memories of WT alumni for generations. To honor this space, the WT Electronic Ensemble will use this place of sonic memory to create a new piece of music that will be recorded as a sonic document of the current time and place.”

The ensemble, part of the School of Music in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, composes several of its own works, using nontraditional electronic instruments and production tools to create musical performance pieces.

Ensemble members include Xander Aleman, a senior music education major from Hereford; Christopher Karr, a senior music technology major from Perryton; Kasen Moon, a freshman music technology major from Weatherford; Keoni Murphy, a junior music technology major from Bushland; Marissa Portillo, a senior music technology major from Lubbock; Jack Sprague, a senior music technology major from Amarillo; and Kortni Van Damme, a senior music technology major from Amarillo.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key goal of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $170 million.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: The West Texas A&M University Electronic Ensemble will perform outside Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in a Sept. 15 concert. Ensemble members include, front from left, Keoni Murphy, Kortni Van Damme and Marissa Portillo and, back from left, Christopher Karr, Kasen Moon and Xander Aleman. Not pictured is Jack Sprague.

—WT—