Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—A Mississippi State music faculty member is releasing an album of works for percussion solo.

Titled “Midsummer Songbook,” the CD from associate professor Jason Baker features five songs performed with marimba and vibraphone, among other instruments.

Recorded last fall in the university’s McComas Hall auditorium, the collection was engineered by computer specialist Cary Huser of MSU’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory, with assistance from senior Kevin R. West, a music/instrumental major from Byram.

In addition to Baker, selections were composed by Jason Bahr, assistant professor of music at Florida Gulf Coast University; Casey Cangelosi, assistant professor of music at James Madison University; and Frank Picarazzi, freelance composer and musician from Brooklyn, New York.

Production for “Midsummer Songbook” was funded by a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Digital downloads are available via the Amazon and iTunes websites, and physical copies of the production may be obtained by contacting Baker at 662-325-4150 or jbaker@colled.mstate.edu.

Along with directing the music department’s percussion studies, Baker oversees the MSU Percussion Studio. When not teaching, he is an active performer who serves as principal timpanist for the Tupelo-based North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, principal percussionist for the Starkville-MSU Symphony Orchestra and a member of the State Messengers faculty jazz combo.

Baker is a University of Connecticut music graduate who also completed a master’s degree at the New England Conservatory of Music, and a doctorate in musical arts at the University of North Texas. Additionally, he holds an MSU master’s degree in business administration.

For more about the MSU Percussion Studio, visit www.msstateperc.info, facebook.com/msstatepercussion and youtube.com/msstatepercussion.

The studio accepts tax-deductible donations via the MSU Foundation. To contribute, contact Lynn Durr at 662-325-8918 or ldurr@advservices.msstate.edu.

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, MSU’s music department offers a bachelor’s degree in four areas of music education, as well as a bachelor of arts in music. For more information, visit www.music.msstate.edu, bit.ly/MSUMusicFB and twitter.com/mstatemusic.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.