The highly acclaimed Ju Percussion Group, winner of several international awards, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday in Spaulding Auditorium.
The band, consisting of 11 members, is Taiwan's first professional percussion ensemble. Founded in 1986 by Tzong-Ching Ju, the group has acquired a truly international reputation over the years, performing in the United States, Japan, Korea, France, Sweden, Hungry, Germany, Canada, Australia and Holland, in venues such as New York's Lincoln Center.
The Ju Percussion Group conducts more than 100 performances a year, leaving impressions of the richness of Taiwan's cultural heritage.
They have a wide musical repertoire, combining standard Western classics like American ragtime and jazz with traditional Chinese and Taiwanese children's songs and folk music. Their choice of instruments is diverse as well; they use a mixture of traditional Chinese temple bowls, cymbals, tom-toms and gongs and modern marimba, xylophone, drums and timpani. This has imbued them with a distinctive sound said to mesmerize listeners.
As Taipei Times journalist Emily Wu wrote, "The performers have a definite energy that will move both young and old attendees."
In 1993, 1996 and 1999, the group organized three successive Taipei International Percussion Conventions, bringing together musicians from across the globe to perform for Taiwanese audiences. In 2000, they were invited to perform at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Dallas, Texas and at the Olympic Arts Festival in Sydney.
Presently, the group has released 15 highly acclaimed recordings, two of which were recipients of the Golden Tripod Award. Their 10th anniversary live recording won the Golden Melody Award.
The group's uncanny ability to navigate musical genres in an original and poignant way has led to their overwhelming global success. Their performance Saturday night at Spaulding stands to be memorable.
