Mines Students Perform with Black Hills Symphony Showcasing Engineered Instruments

South Dakota Mines students will take the stage this weekend to showcase their engineering excellence and musical talent during the Black Hills Symphony concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased here.

The symphony’s performance, “Bright Horizons: Celebrating 150 Years of Rapid City,” honors the city’s rich history, a legacy in which the university has played a significant role.

Founded as Dakota School of Mines in 1885, four years before South Dakota became a state, the university has been a cornerstone of the community since.

“The conductor reached out and shared that when he reflects on Rapid City’s history, one of the first things that comes to mind is South Dakota Mines,” said Haley Armstrong, D.M.A., associate professor and director of bands at Mines.

Since Mines is a STEM-focused university, Armstrong is combining both students’ engineering and musical talents to showcase the university's art and engineering initiative.

In 2023, Armstrong asked student organizations across campus to craft percussion instruments for an upcoming performance. The students created 3D printed wood blocks, hand-welded triangles and casted bells, as well as programming a drone to fly over and drop marbles on a cymbal on cue.

The instrument project is now part of the metallurgical engineering junior design course taught by Katrina Donovan, Ph.D., senior lecturer of materials and metallurgical engineering.

The students work in groups, each assigned a different method including casting, forging, glass blowing and ceramics, and are presented with a few musical pieces to match. “They’ve come up with some really good projects, and I’ve incorporated them all into our performances,” Armstrong said.

Five student percussionists will play a variety of these instruments during the symphony’s production of “Arabian Nights” by Brian Balmages.

The five students performing with the Symphony include Cindy Eng, sophomore geology major; Baker Mitchell, senior industrial engineering and engineering management major; Corrigan Johnke, senior mechanical engineering major; Eric Poole, sophomore mechanical engineering major; and Jace Ruud, mechanical engineering graduate student.

Prior to the performance of “Arabian Nights”, a video featuring Mines President Brian Tande, Ph.D., will play, describing the university’s art and engineering program.