“Majestic Drums VIII” concert and the Final Round of the 4^th Hong Kong Synergy 24 Drum Competition will be held on 24 – 25 November, at 7:30pm, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall.

    The Ju Percussion Group, the first professional percussion ensemble in Taiwan, will be the guest performing at the concert. The Group was founded in 1986 by Professor Ju Tzong-ching, who is also the Artistic Director of the Group. As described by The New York Times “The Ju Percussion Group… has eager active and highly competent performers.” With its innovative blending of East and West, the traditional and the contemporary, the Group earned the acclaims of the international percussive world. Through developing the education system for percussive arts, they have successfully permeated the fabric of the society in Taiwan. Percussion music has penetrated into every family and thereby building a new, extensive audience base. The Group is one of the few ensembles in the world today to be able to incorporate Western percussion instruments and Chinese gongs and drums. They also play a leading role among professional groups to be devoted to the performing, education, research and promotion of percussion music.

    In the first half of the concert, the Ju Percussion Group will be performing works that represent a spectrum of different cultures. Drumming No. 5 incorporates the rhythmic ideas of Ghana drumming and Chinese village festive drumming patterns. Moving Moonlight is inspired by a folk song of the Atayal Tribe in Taiwan. Resilience evokes our fascination and fear of the darkness. Brazilian Street Dance imitates the carnivals of Brazil with xylophone and the sensation of the drums. The Group will join the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra to perform Initiation Rite and Speed Drums, demonstrating Chinese and Western drums to reach the climax of the night.

    Also featured in the concert is the final round of the Hong Kong Synergy 24 Drum Competition, an exciting annual activity that captures the attention of the community. There will be different sections competing in the two evenings.

    Tickets for “Majestic Drums VIII” concert are now available at all URBTIX Outlets at $220, 180, 130 and 100. Half-price tickets are offered for senior citizens, people with disabilities and full-time students. Please refer to the programme leaflet for more details on discount schemes. Enquiries: 3185 1600; Booking Hotline: 2734 9009. Internet Booking: www.urbtix.hk; HKCO website: www.hkco.org .

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Artists Biography

Yan Huichang    Conductor
National Class One Conductor. As a conductor who has worked with all professional Chinese orchestras in Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, Yan has won the acclaim of the music circles in China and abroad for his artistic and conducting talents. Under his baton, and in collaboration with the famous composer Zhao Jiping, the Symphony Orchestra section of the China National Symphony Orchestra made the soundtrack recordings for such award-winning films as Raise the Red Lantern, Ballad of the Yellow River, and Five Girls and a Rope. Yan was awarded the “Cultural Medallion (Music)” by the National Arts Council of Singapore in September 2001. Since 2004, he has been a Visiting Professor in many music conservatories. Yan was awarded a Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) by the Chief Executive of HKSAR in 2004 in recognition of his remarkable achievements in Chinese music as well as his efforts in promoting Chinese music.

The Ju Percussion Group
Acclaimed for its vibrant sounds, energetic presentation and professionalism, the Ju Percussion Group occupies a premier position in modern percussion music not only in Asia but also in the world. It is one of the few ensembles in the world today to be able to incorporate with equal virtuosity Western percussion instruments and Chinese gongs and drums. It also plays a spearheading role among professional groups to be devoted to the performing, education, research and promotion of the art form. The Group was founded in January 1986, and is the first professional percussion ensemble in Taiwan. The Group’s Artistic Director is also its founder, Professor Ju Tzong-ching. It currently has an establishment of eight full-time musicians, each having been professionally trained, with academic qualifications of a Master’s degree or higher and teaching Music in higher education institutions. They share one common trait, and that is a devout passion for percussion music. The Group has been a driving force behind the development of the percussive arts in Taiwan, making it part of the everyday life of the average family. It has also become well-known around the world for its innovative blending of East and West, the traditional and the contemporary. There is also a natural charm that strongly recommends the Group to the international milieu of percussive arts. In its effort to promote percussion music, the Group has commissioned over 80 works to date, and released 15 CDs.

Ju Tzong-ching    Founder
Ju Tzong-ching is an internationally renowned percussionist and founder of the Ju Percussion Group and the Ju Percussion Music School, the first domestically developed education system for percussive arts. He has played a significant role in outreach, audience-building and groundwork education related to percussion music in Taiwan in the last two decades. He was also instrumental in bringing his group to the international stage. Upon graduating from the National Taiwan Academy of the Arts, Ju continued his percussion study at the Vienna Academy of Music in Austria and was awarded the Diploma in Music Performance in Percussion in 1982, making him the first ever recipient of this award in Taiwan. Upon returning to Taiwan, he was principal percussionist with the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra while cutting an active figure on the music stage. He founded the Ju Percussion Group in January 1986. Ju has won many accolades in Taiwan, and also The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) presented him, on three occasions, with an outstanding contribution award for his achievements in the percussive arts. He was the Dean of Music of the Taipei National University of the Arts, Director of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Director of the National Chiang Kai-Shek Culture Centre and its first Artistic Director after it was restructured. He is at present President of the Taipei National University of the Arts and Professor of its Department of Music, as well as Artistic Director of the Ju Percussion Group.