The NIU Wind and Percussion Ensembles will join forces tonight to present musical expressions of France, Israel, the African continent and the Netherlands.

The 8 p.m. NIU Spectrum Concert will take place in the Music Building’s Boutell Memorial Concert Hall.

The first piece on the program is a work by French composer Edgard Varese called “Hyperprism,” featuring the Percussion Ensemble and members of the Wind Ensemble.

The featured Israeli work will be “Sheva and Elul” by Ben-Zion Orgad, one of Israel’s leading composers. Orgad is best known for his innovative and experimental works. Born in Germany in 1926, his family moved to Palestine in 1933. Orgad studied violin and composition from the age of nine. In 1949 he won an UNESCO scholarship that allowed him to study with Aaron Copland and Curt Sachs. From 1975-1988 he served as Chief Minister of Musical Education in the Israel Ministry of Education and Culture.

In praise of the concert, the Music School’s Laura Smith said, “It’s rare that we have a composer come to a concert. This is a good opportunity to become familiar with Orgad and with Israeli music, which is not commonly heard.”

The public will have an opportunity to meet Orgad in a pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. in the Music Building Recital Hall. Orgad will discuss “Sheva and Elul” and there will be a performance of his piece “Seven Variations on C” by pianist Nadia Nehama Weintraub. In addition, Orgad will be available at the Composition Seminar Friday, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. in the Recital Hall. Everyone is invited to attend and visit the exhibit of Orgad’s many scores, photos and essays in the Music Library.

The Percussion Ensemble will perform a traditional African drumming piece entitled “Gahu.” In this work performers follow the signals of the director, making each performance unique.

For the finale, the Wind Ensemble will perform Dutch composer Johan de Meij’s “Symphony No. 1: The Lord of the Rings.” This piece is based on the trilogy of the same name by J.R.R. Tolkien. Each movement of the symphony illustrates an important episode from the book. The final movement of the piece, “Hobbits,” expresses the carefree character of the Hobbits and brings to the work to a peaceful yet resigned conclusion, much the same way the book ends.

Smith said, “This is one of the best things ever written for wind ensembles. It’s like something you would hear in a movie.”

The concert is free and everyone is invited to attend.