Skin and Bones, the annual collaborative concert between The University of Alabama Trombone Choir and Percussion Ensemble, celebrates its fourth performance Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Skin (percussion) and Bones (trombones) uses the creative talents of two seemingly unlike ensembles within the School of Music to create a diverse, yet cohesive, concert.

“Besides being a unique instrumentation, the concert focuses on the possibilities of a relatively unheard combination of instruments,” Scott O’Toole, a second-year masters student studying percussion performance, said. “There is a lot of power inherent in both percussion and trombone and, when combined, make an ensemble capable of both the extremely intense and the subtle.”

O’Toole will be playing accompaniment for an arrangement of African mbira music and bass drum for the world premiere of “Reckoning,” a piece by junior trombone performance major Michael Johnson.

Skin and Bones is one of a kind not only in its use of the two ensembles, but also in the repertoire it presents. In previous years, everything from Vivaldi to Journey has been performed. This year the tradition continues. The program includes an Eric Crees arrangement of Eric Clapton’s “Layla,” “Water Night” by Eric Whitacre and arranged by Evan Conroy, “Double Music” by John Cage and Lou Harrison, “Fanfare for Cala” by Eric Crees and “Nhemamusasa,” “Mahororo” and “Nyamaropa” from “Shona Spirit” arranged by B. Michael Williams.

“We are playing a little bit of everything, from rock to classical and everything in between,” Mary Young, a senior majoring in music therapy, said. Young is a member of the trombone choir.

“My first year here was the first year that Skin and Bones happened, so it’s been pretty cool to see how it’s evolved over the years,” Young said. “I’m hoping that the audience will leave with the knowledge that all that happens in the School of Music is not classical. I hope they enjoy watching it as much as we enjoy performing for them.”

The longevity of Skin and Bones highlights the collaborative nature the School of Music fosters among students across different disciplines.

“The chemistry between the studios is fantastic,” O’Toole said. “It’s always a pleasure for me to collaborate outside of the studio. The trombone ensemble is professional, musically sensitive, creatively curious – qualities every musician wants in a coworker.”

The Trombone Choir is directed by Jonathan Whitaker, assistant professor of trombone and the brass area coordinator at the School of Music, while the Percussion Ensemble is directed by Tim Feeney, assistant professor of percussion.

The concert will be held in the Moody Music Building Concert Hall. It is free to the public and will also be streamed live at ustream.tv/channel/uofa-som.