ABOUT THE ARTIST
Neel Patel, Percussion, Studio Composition
Neel Patel is a performer and composer from Media, Pennsylvania. Neel is currently in his seventh year at West Chester University, working towards a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a bachelor’s degree in Studio Composition. During his time at WCU, Neel has performed in numerous ensembles, including the West Chester University Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band (’18- present), West Chester University Concert Band (’19), West Chester University Wind Symphony (’19-present), West Chester University Men’s Choir (’19,’21), West Chester University Symphony Orchestra (’24), and the West Chester University Liberty Youth Wind Ensemble (’17’19). Neel has also performed with the West Chester University Mastersingers Ensemble, playing timpani. Neel has held the front ensemble coordinator position at both Sun Valley High School in Fall 2019 and at Downingtown West High School in Fall 2023-Spring 2024. After graduation, Neel plans to continue his passion and studies in music through performing, studio recording, and education.
Recital Preparation Process:
When I first began this project, my goal was to explore different effects and create a unique sound that created a state of meditation and relaxation. This includes experimenting with reverb, delay, and various plugins and effects to create a rich, ambient sound. Initially, I wanted to write music free of traditional notation and just be able to play what comes to mind with being given the key signature and figuring out checkpoints in the videos for each performer to play. This was a complex process as I needed to decide how much or little a performer should play while also allowing some of the original music edited by Liam Turnage to come through still and be heard during breaks in the music where no one was playing. Overall, this project took a lot of editing, processing, and experimentation to create a meditative atmosphere filled with a full, warm sound. All the videos presented in the recital will present a variety of instruments with various themes to play along with. The goal was to represent each video as its unique character and atmosphere and draw the performer’s and audiences’ attention to nothing else except making and experiencing music.