Eric Merkle of Bay City Performs in Guitar Ensemble Concert at SVSU

2012 Nov 8

Eric Merkle of Bay City, Mich., will perform as part of Saginaw Valley State University's guitar ensemble in a concert with select counterparts from Central Michigan University.

The concert, set for Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall, will feature guitar melodies from the 1600s to more contemporary music, including Led Zeppelin.

The musicians will be directed by Brad DeRoche, chair of the music department at Delta College; he leads the guitar programs at both CMU and SVSU.

SVSU musicians performing include:

• Erik Gibelyou, an SVSU graduate from Bay City who previously was selected to perform in Italy for the 2011 Chamber Music Seminar of the Rome Festival

• Kelsey Hathaway, a music education major from Freeland

• Eric Merkle, a music major from Bay City

• Adam Odette, a music major from West Branch

DeRoche teaches guitar, guitar ensemble, music history, and music theory. DeRoche plays a selection of genres including rock, jazz and classical styles from the Renaissance period to modern music. He has contributed in master classes with well-known concert guitarists as David Russell, Raphaëlla Smits, Paul Galbraith and Fabio Zanon.

The concert is open to the public. Admission is free of charge. For more information, call the SVSU Department of Music at 989-964-4159.

Saginaw Valley State University is a comprehensive university that offers 90 programs of study for more than 10,000 students on its suburban campus in Michigan's Great Lakes Bay Region. SVSU is committed to quality teaching in the classroom, field-based learning experiences, NCAA Division II athletics and a range of academic and extracurricular opportunities for students to excel.