Month: July 2019

Rhythm is like a heartbeat. Knocking and striking are within our natural instincts. With a passion for percussion and the performing arts, the Ju Percussion Group – which sees Taiwan as their roots and sees the world as their stage – has visited 33 countries and regions all around the world and have performed more than 3,000 sessions.

Ju Percussion Group, the first Taiwanese professional percussion group, was founded in a Taipei hot pot restaurant in 1986. At that time, they stopped at a public phone booth on the street and called the receptionist at the office to confirm that this was not a dream. Working hard in the community discreetly, they have changed the Taiwanese people’s understanding of percussion music. It has been 30 years since then, and the group has become an internationally renowned Taiwanese band. The group has showcased their creativity and followed the classics through large annual performances and brand-new productions. Aside from learning Western percussion instruments, the members also learn the drums from Peking Opera, Chinese gong-drum music, Nanguan/Beiguan music, and other Eastern percussive elements. The ensemble has become an important supporter of Taiwanese contemporary percussion development, where more than 130,000 students are learning through the educational system. Upholding the spirit to “Bring Taiwan to the world, and let the world come in”, Ju Percussion Group established the Taipei International Percussion Convention (TIPC), making Taiwan one of the world’s major development centers for percussion.

Tzong-Ching Ju, the Artistic Director of Ju Percussion Group, received a special award from the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) in 2009 for his devotion to percussion arts in the past years.  In 2016, he was recognized in the Hall of Fame in PAS, becoming the first person in the Asian community to receive this honour. This summer, the Ju Percussion Group will bring its astonishing performances to North America, sharing the lively emotions of rhythm to everyone!