"It was always a dream of mine to organize an international percussion convention," says Tzong-ching Ju. This dream finally came true in 1993.   The triennial Taipei International Percussion Convention (TIPC) was incepted in 1993 and is entering its sixth event in May 2008. In the early 1990s, Mr. Tzong-Ching Ju, founder of the Ju Percussion Group and the Ju Percussion Group Foundation, envisaged an event that presented Taiwan’s thriving percussion music to the international music community while bring the best of the world’s percussion music to the island. The TIPC was thus first held in 1993 by the Ju Percussion Group Foundation with the assistance of the musicians in the Ju Percussion Group. The 1993 convention instantly became a highlight of the percussion scene and marked the beginning of the outreach of Taiwanese percussion music towards the world. Over nearly two decades, the TIPC successfully fulfilled the vision of continually introducing local musicians and audiences with first-rated international percussion music and simultaneously demonstrated the Taiwanese percussion music to the world. TIPC has also served as a networking platform for musicians, composers and music lovers to learn from and collaborate with each other. Workshops and lectures were held for arts practitioners and the general public, aiming at enhancing the development of percussion music. OVERVIEW OF TIPC 1993-2002 Deep-rooted in Taiwan. Marching towards the world Bearing the idea of ‘presenting traditional Taiwanese percussive culture to the world,’ the hosting Ju Percussion Group invited local and overseas percussion groups to join together in Taiwan, each adopting a piece by a Taiwanese composer into its program. During the events, local groups such as Hung Sheng Lion Dance Theater, and Atayal Tribe Arts Troupe stunned the audience with their dynamic representation of the traditional Taiwanese percussive arts. The first three TIPCs established a prestige for itself and enormously increased Taipei’s importance as an international hub of percussion. 2002-2005 Broaden the horizon and seek multi-development The fourth TIPC in 2002 featured a diverse programme of 21 concerts, consisting of collaborative performances such as Percussive Music Across Asia, Jazz Percussion Concert, The Night of Marimba and a joint concert of the Ju Percussion Group and Les Percussions de Strasbourg. The 2002 TIPC was the first-ever festival that had the honor to have invited the world’s four major percussion groups – The Kroumata Ensemble from Sweden, Les Percussion de Strasbourg from France, Amadinda Percussion Group from Hungary and NEXUS from Canada. The 2002 TIPC is yet the largest convention up-to-date with its 21 touring concerts in five cities during the twelve-day festivities. 2005-2008 Stepping into the new era and leading the trend. The fifth TIPC in 2005 invited a new generation of percussionists, all aged under thirty-five. These young and rising stars in the percussion world employed a diversity of elements, technology, art forms and delivered cutting-edge performances. They were to be the pioneers of the new percussive music. The record-setting 100-person marimba orchestra, hosted by the Ju Percussion Group premiered in the 2005 convention and became the highlight of this TIPC. 2008 Drumming up the new era The 2008 TIPC marks the sixth of this triennial event. Following its past experiences, TIPC continues to deliver the excellence of percussion music. This year, acclaimed groups from 10 countries including Austria, France, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, USA and Taiwan, will show the local and international audiences the best of percussive music, while blending their innovation with a touch of the cultural atmosphere from their home countries. The 10 different styles and dynamics will surely challenge and excite the audience both acoustically and visually. For more information please contact Ju Percussion Group Foundation: Tel: +886-2-2891-9900 Fax:+886-2-2896-9933 Email:meifen@mail.jpg.org.tw