About Ju Percussion
Artistic Director
Meet the Musicians
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The JU PERCUSSION GROUP (JPG), founded by percussionist Tzong-Ching Ju in January 1986, is the first percussion ensemble established in Taiwan. It consists of 13 talented percussionists and one composer in residence. The members possess transcendental virtuosity in playing Western percussion instruments as well as Chinese gong-drum music, and other form of Asian traditional music. This is a group devoting itself in performing, education and percussion promoting.

Following the direction of Tzong-Ching Ju, the JPG has become well-known around the world for its innovative blending of East and West, traditional and contemporary. The JPG has pioneered the development of the percussive arts in Taiwan, and through its more than 100 domestic and international performances annually and reaching approximately 150,000 audiences has put Taiwan’s name on the international percussion map.

Since its establishment, the JPG has performed in Asia, Europe, Australia and the America. Since 1993 the Group was joined by leading percussion ensembles from the United States, Japan, Korea, France, Sweden, Hungary, Germany, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands at Taipei International Percussion Convention (TIPC). The JPG was invited to perform at Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Dallas (Texas) and Louisville (Kentucky), U.S.A., in 2000 and 2003. The JPG collaborated with the world-famous Les Percussions de Strasbourg (France) on a cultural-exchange project, Les Douze Lunes du Serpent, premiered in December 2001. Invited by the Budapest Spring Festival, the JPG and the Amadinda Percussion Group of Hungary jointly presented the grand percussive work Stoicheia, written by James Wood, in 2002. In the same year, the JPG participated in the Beijing Music Festival in China and the year followed, the Group was invited to take part in the Chekhov International Theatre Festival. The participation in both events received great critical acclaim.

Aside from being featured in the percussion concerts, the JPG has also performed with the Cloud Gate Dance Theater and the Lanling Theater Workshop, touring nationally and internationally. In 1992, the JPG undertook a series of experimentation in music theater, which resulted in three major multi-media productions, Fantasia, in 1993, and Dream of Chimes in 1994, and See the Music in 2001. These productions incorporated other art forms and created a new audio and visual ambiance.

In July 1989, four years after Ju Percussion Group was found, the Ju Percussion Group Foundation (The Foundation) was established to be in charge of the administration of the Group. The mission of the Foundation is to make music universal and readily accessible to the public and to enhance the percussive arts in performance, composition and research in Taiwan. Currently, the Foundation includes a Board of Directors, headed by Chairperson Mr. Hsin-Ho Lin. The administration is lead by Executive Director Shu-Kang Liu and operated by five divisions, with 20 professional staff of art administration. Besides the JPG, the Foundation is also in charge of the performances of the JPG 2, Jumping Percussion Group and Juvenile Percussion Ensembles.

The JPG has released 15 highly acclaimed recordings. Two of them have been honored with the Golden Tripod Award. They are Keep the Fire Burning for Best Performance in 1988 and the Mountain's Beat for Best Musical Publication in 1990. The live recording of the 10th anniversary concert in 1996 was released as a special double-disc set. This recording received the 1997 Golden Melody Award, an equivalent of the Grammy in Taiwan, for Best Performer. In the same year, “Beat the Drum” won the award for Best Composition in the classical music category. In 2002, the JPG releases its 15th anniversary CD set Shiny Days.

The JPG has actively cultivated the percussion music environment by regularly commissioning and premiering the compositions written by Taiwanese very own composers, such as Nan-Chang Chien (whose Beat the Drum has become a classic), Hwang-Long Pan, Shui-Long Ma, Loong-Hsing Wen, Ting-Lien Wu, Gordon S. Chin, Chien-Hui Hung, Wan-Jen Huang, Chung-Kun Hung and Kuen-Yean Hwang. In addition, the arrangements of numerous traditional Chinese/Taiwanese folk tunes and children’s songs by the Group have contributed to the steadily growing popularity of percussion music in Taiwan.

 

TZONG-CHING JU,
Artistic Director

Tzong-Ching Ju has played a significant role in enhancing the wide interest in percussion music in Taiwan in the last two decades. The wide popularity of percussion music in Taiwan owes a great deal to Ju for his pioneering efforts in music education.

Upon graduating from the National Taiwan Academy of the Arts, Ju continued his percussion study with Walter Veigl and Richard Hochrainer, former principal percussionist of the Wiener Philharmoniker, at the Vienna Academy of Music. Ju received the diploma of Music Performer in percussion in 1982.

Upon returning to Taiwan, Ju served as principal percussionist of the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. He founded Taiwan's first percussion ensemble, the Ju Percussion Group (JPG), in January 1986. Three years later, Ju Percussion Group Foundation was formed to handle JPG's administrative work.

In 1992, Ju established the Ju Percussion Music School, the first domestic-developed educational system and the fastest channel to promote the percussive arts in Taiwan. In 1994, he initiated another project, The Traditional Percussion Center, with its mission of preserving traditional percussion music. In 1998, he launched the Arts Circle, a magazine to further promote percussion music and the arts.

Tzong-Ching Ju received a Youth Medal in 1983 and was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Taiwan in 1988. He was honored with the National Award for Arts of the National Culture and Arts Foundation, R.O.C. in 2000.

The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) gave him special recognition for his devotion to the percussive arts and for organizing the Taipei International Percussion Conventions (TIPC) in 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2002. In addition, he is the recipient the one-year Fulbright Grant, to support his further percussion research in the United States from 1996 to1997.

Ju served as the board members of the PAS from 1998 to 1999. He also served as the dean of music department of the Taipei National University of the Arts from 1997 to 2000, and the Director of National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and following as the Director of the National Chiang Kai-Shek Culture Center ROC, National Theatre, National Concert Hall in Taiwan from 2001 till 2004. He is at present as Professor at the music department of the Taipei National University of the Arts and the Artistic Director of the Ju Percussion Group, and Ju Percussion Group Foundation.


 

CHIEN-HUI HUNG
Composer in Residence

Chien-Hui Hung, a leading young composer in Taiwan, is one of the founding members of the Ju Percussion Group. She studied composition with Shiu-Long Ma and Yen Lu ; at the same time studied percussion with Tzong-Ching Ju and Kwang-Yuan Kuo. During her further studies in France from 1987 to 1995, Hung studied composition with Yoshihisa Taira at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, where she received Diplome Superieur of Composition, and with Zbar at the Conservatoire National de Boulogne. She also studied composition with Alain Bancquart, Paul Mefano, and electroacoustic composition with Laurent Cuniot at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris, where Hung received Diplome Superieur of Composition in 1995. In November of 1997, Hung presented one “All Hung’s Music” concert at the National Concert Hall. Currently she teaches at the Taipei National University of the Arts, where she is pursuing Ph.D. as well. Her composition Les Douze Lunes Du Serpent (2001), is a project collaborating with the French composer Franscois Bernard Mache. The work, commissioned by Les Percussions de Strasbourg, was premiered at Les 38e Rugissants in Grenoble, France in 2001.

Shih-San WU
Director

Shih-San Wu joined the group in 1989. She graduated from the Taipei National University of the Arts and studied percussion with Tzong-Ching Ju. Wu later learned percussion and theatre music with Gaston Sylvestre at the Conservatoire National de Region de Rueil-Malmaison in France. While there, she received Prix de Virtuosite a l’Unanimite Felicitations and Prix d’Excellence a l’Unanimite Felicitations. In 1995 and 1996, she gave several recitals in France and Taiwan. Wu is full-time facaulty at the Taipei National University of the Arts, where she is pursuing her doctor’s degree as well. She currently serves as the director of the Ju Percussion Group.

Hong-Chi HO
Associate Director

Hong-Chi Ho, a graduate of the National Taiwan University of the Arts, joined the group in 1987. He studied percussion with Tzong-ching Ju, Richard Holly, and Robert Chappell. In 1992, he took his advance study on playing percussion and Latin musical instruments. Two years later, he continued on log drum teaching and playing in Germany. In November 1995, Ho was invited by the Federation of Chinese Assembly Halls in Malaysia to conduct master classes for local music teachers. Ho gave his series of recitals in Taiwan in June 1998, 2001 and 2005. He also served as the director of Taipei’s Citibank Percussion Ensemble. Ho earned his master’s degree from the Taipei National University of the Arts in 1999. His composition Dancing Rhythm has become the classic in the JPG’s repertoire. Currently, he serves as the Associate Director of the Ju Percussion Group, and teaches at the Taiwan National University of the Arts and Shih Chien University.

Pei-Ching WU
Principal

Pei-Ching Wu, a founding member of the Ju Percussion Group, studied percussion with Tzong-Ching Ju, Keiko Abe, Robert Chappell, Richard Holly and Tim Peterman. As the Principal of Ju Percussion Group since the age of 18, she has been touring with the Group to the USA, Europe, Asia and Australia for more than 1500 concerts. She collaborated with several world well-known musicians, such as Martha Argerich, Keiko Abe, and Dave Samuels. She also performed with many famous artistic groups, such as Cincinnati Pop Orchestra, Amadinda Percussion Group, etc. After graduating from the Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan, she received her master’s degree from the Northern Illinois University, and won her doctorate degree at West Virginia University, U.S.A., in 2005. She teaches at the Taipei National University of the Arts and Shih Chien University.

Kuen-Yean HWANG

Kuen-yean Hwang, who has been working with the Ju Percussion Group since 1988, joined the group full-time in 1992. He graduated from the Taipei National University of the Arts and studied percussion with Kwang-yuan Kuo and Tzong-ching Ju. He received his master’s degree in percussion and jazz from the University of Southern California. In 1999, Hwang went on a recital tour in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung. Hwang shows great potential as a performer, an arranger and a composer. In June, 1995, commissioned by Japan Percussion Society, he composed Formosa, which was premiered in 1995 Japan Percussion Festival. Pacific Image, composed in 1998, was premiered by Seoul Percussion Group in the Taipei International Percussion Convention in 1999. In 2005, his composition Rhapsody of Amadinda was premiered in Africussion, a collaborative production of the Ju Percussion Group and Harambee Dance Company. He is at present teaching at the Taipei National University of the Arts, where he is pursuing the doctor’s degree as well.

Huei-Chen WU

Huei-Chen Wu has been a member of the Ju Percussion Group since 1992. She was graduated from the Taipei National University of the Arts in 1996 and studied percussion with Tzong-Ching Ju. In 1999, She received her master’s degree from the same university. Her diverse experiences have included participation in the performances of the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and the Godot Theatre Company. She studied pei-kuan percussion with the master Hou-jung Chiu in 1997. Wu went on her recital in Taipei and Kaohsiung in December, 2000. She is current the member of the Ju Percussion Group and teaches at National Sun Yat-sen University and several high schools in Taiwan. She is persuing her doctor’s degree in the Taipei National University of the Arts.

Pei-Shun LEE

Pei-Shun Lee received her master’s degree from the Taipei Taipei National University of the Arts in 2004. She studied percussion with Chin-Hsiang Hwang, Pei-Ching Wu, Kuen-Yean Hwang and Tzong-Ching Ju. She won the competition of “Guandu New Voice” and played in the concert of “Guandu New Voice” in 1999. At the same year, she performed the percussion music in Legacy with the Cloud Gate 2. She is at present the member of Ju Percussion Group.

 

Chin-Hua LIN

Chin-Hua Lin has been the intern member of the Ju Percussion Group since 1998 while following Shih-San Wu to study percussion. Lin won her master’s degree from the Taipei National University of the Arts, advised by Tzong-Ching Ju. In 2000, Lin toured with the Ju Percussion Group in mainland China, and at the same year, performed in the Children’s Concert Tour Summer Sky all over Taiwan. Since 2001, she performed in Japan and Germany, and with the Ju Percussion Group in Mainland China, U.S.A., Australia and Japan. She is at present the intern of the Ju percussion Group.

Huan-Wei LU

Huan Wei Lu graduated from the Music Department of the Taipei National University of the Arts after following Bo-Nien Hsu, Kuan-Yuan Kwo and Shih-San Wu, and at present follows Tzong-Ching Ju, and majors in percussion as a graduate student ay the Taipei National University of the Arts. He performed percussion music in Legacy with the Cloud Gate 2 in 1999 and in Cloud Gate’s 30th anniversary in 2003. In 2001, he performed in Japan and Germany, and toured with the Ju Percussion Group in mainland China in 2002. In the same year, he performed with Taipei Wind Orchestra and Symphonic Band in America. In September 2002, he performed with the Theater Department of Taipei National University of the Arts in mainland China. . In 2005, his composition polychrome was premiered in Africussion, a collaborative production of the Ju Percussion Group and Harambee Dance Company. He is at present the intern of the Ju percussion Group.

Hung-Yueh CHEN／Intern

Hung-Yueh Chen is at the present studying at the first grade of graduated school at the Taipei National University of the Arts, studying percussion with Pei-Ching Wu. He won the competition of “ Kuando New Voice” in October, 2002. He is at present the member of Ju Percussion Group 2.

Chia-Lee HUANG／Intern

Huang graduated from the Taipei National University of the Arts, majoring in percussion. She has studied with Mr. Y.H. Chou, H.M. Lin, J.W. Chang and currently T.C. Ju. During high school years, she toured with the school orchestra in Europe and U.S. In 2001, she toured with Jumping Percussion Group in Japan. She currently serves as leader in Ju Percussion Group 2. Currently she is a student in Graduate School of Orchestral and Percussion at the Taipei National University of the Arts.

Hao-En CHEN／Intern

Hao-En Chen is at the present studying at the first grade of graduated school at the Taipei National University of the Arts. He has studied with Chi-Hung Cheng, Cheng-Hsin Hsu, Teh-Hua Shih, Yon-Sheng Chen and Pei-Ching Wu. He won the competition of “ Kuando New Voice” in 2003. In August, 2004, he participated in the performances with Ju Percussion Group in USA. He is at present the member of Ju Percussion Group 2.

Miao-Fei CHEN／Intern

Chen graduated from National Taipei University of the Arts, majoring in music. She has studied with C.S. Hwang, P.C. Wu, and currently T.C. Ju. In 2001, she participated in Ju Percussion Goup Music Theatre “See the Music”. She teaches Ju Juvenile Percussion Group and is the member of Ju Percussion Group 2. She currently studies at Graduate School of Orchestral and Percussion at at the Taipei National University of the Arts.

I-Lin LEE／Intern

I-Lin Lee is at the present studying at the second grade of Taipei National University of the Arts majoring in percussion music. She has studied with Yo-Hung Chou, Che-Ming Tsai, and Shih-San Wu. She is at present the member of Ju Percussion Group.