Several years ago during a trip to Brazil, Dr. Anthony Scelba, Director of the Affiliate Artist program, came upon the performance of an amazing theatrical piece, Cancion Simples, written by the composer Carlos Stasi. Upon returning to the states, Dr. Scelba shared his excitement for this piece with Professor Musto and they immediately began to look for the music from various sources. To their surprise, the music was impossible to find because it was not published in the United States. After a long and vigorous search, Professor Musto was able to obtain the music through a friend who is the Principal Percussionist in the New York Philharmonic. With regained enthusiasm, Professor Musto eagerly began to prepare to bring this entertaining piece to Kean University. But, Professor Musto's eagerness soon came to a halt when he was told that the composer believed his dead uncle had appeared to him in a dream and warned him to not allow the piece to be performed anymore. Uncertain of his sanity at this point, Professor Musto brought this to Dr. Scelba's attention and with a chuckle, Dr. Scelba informed him that this same uncle appeared to himself in a dream and said that it was ok to play the piece again.So, on October 4, 2004, the Affiliate Artist Program brought this brilliant piece of art to Kean! A performance most of us will never forget, Professor Musto played a single instrument, the snare drum, on a stage lit with vibrant colors. The excitement was not that he played a single instrument, but rather it was how he played it. Full of unexpected surprises, Professor Musto's performance included playing the drum with a 12 ft bamboo stick, wire brushes, rolling a ping pong ball along the rim of the drum while playing with his hands, and blowing air through a hole in the drum in a musical manner. On top of this extraordinary composition, the psychedelic colors really brought character to Musto's performance. "People would never think the snare drum could be such a complex instrument. I told my wife, I'll either be a laughing stock or everyone is going to love it," said Musto. He was right about one thing - we all loved it and found it intriguing to see so many different elements used on a simple instrument!

The Affiliate Artist Program is a program started by Dr. Anthony Scelba made up of 10 Kean University Faculty members who have active performing careers and have been Nationally and Internationally honored. They are an extraordinary group of artists that put on remarkable performances. For more information about the Affiliate Artist Program or a schedule of upcoming events, call 908-737-4325.