Entitled “Legacies in Time,” tonight’s performance by the School of Music’s Percussion Ensemble aims to articulate this concept through pieces that rely heavily on timing.

“The two words are kind of a play on words,” said David Jarvis, the coordinator of percussion studies. “The majority of the pieces we’re playing deal with the polyrhythms, so the pieces are time-oriented. Then for the word legacy, one of the pieces is titled ‘Legacy’.”

Jarvis said that percussion repertoire is limited. Composers did not start creating music for percussion instruments until the early 1900s. As a result, Jarvis said some literature the ensemble will play relates to the title because of its historic value.

“‘Legacy’ also suggests something that has a legacy,” Jarvis said. “One of the pieces has legacy in terms of the history of our repertoire. ‘The Swords of Moda Ling’ was written back in the 1950s.”

Made up of 10-15 students, Jarvis said Percussion Ensemble is a bigger group than most percussion pieces are written for.

“It’s difficult to find pieces that are written for that many to play,” Jarvis said. “So what happens is they’re not all on the stage at the same time.”

In choosing the music, Jarvis said he wanted to find music that both appealed to the audience and made sense when played in conjunction.

“Some of it is based on works that will challenge them, that will make them better musicians by playing it,” he said.

For this performance, Jarvis will conduct alongside graduate conductor Chris Nelson. Jarvis said Nelson will conduct the final piece, entitled “Legacies.”

“It is the centerpiece of the finale,” Jarvis said.

For Nelson, conducting the Percussion Ensemble is the first piece of his thesis.

“The performance of ‘Legacies’ is kind of the beginning of an ongoing project for Chris,” Jarvis said.

The Percussion Ensemble will perform tonight at 8 p.m. in Kimbrough Concert Hall. The performance is free and open to the public.