Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist

One of the top percussionists in Taiwan, Wu, Pei-Ching is currently the principal of the Ju Percussion Group. In her 2011 solo tour, Wonderland, Wu took on a “mission impossible”—the six-mallet technique. There are only a handful of percussionists currently in the world who can handle the unique technique, yet under Wu’s outstanding skill, the volatile timbre and sound effect of the technique are fully showcased. In the numbers selected for this recital, many new pieces are tailor-made for the six-mallet technique and the performer; interactions and discussions between the composers and the performer during the composition processes have enabled the final presentation of these pieces to be even more persuasive.    Committee member:Sun, Chia-Tsung

Artwork Introduction

A highly renowned, leading figure in percussion, Wu, Pei-Ching’s 6-mallet grip has long fascinated the music industry. A specialist in marimba, she holds a Ph.D. from West Virginia University, first training under the tutelage of Professor Ju, Tzong-Ching. Wu is also one of the original members of the Ju Percussion Group, with whom she has toured since the age of 18 in over 2,500 performances in Taiwan and overseas. In 1999, she was invited to perform at the Budapest Spring Music Festival, and in 2001, she performed with piano virtuoso Martha Argerich at the Martha Argerich Music Festival in Taipei. In 2009, she was nominated for the 8th Taishin Arts Award for her piano-percussion duet The Duo Matchless.

Although Wu is widely known for her 6-mallet grip, she has never held an entire recital based on the technique. As a result, four Asian composers were commissioned to come up with a repertoire specially for Wu’s 6-mallet grip: Dreaming of the Red Chamber by Hung, Chien-Hui; the extremely challenging Manimal by Lu, Huan-Wei; Poem of Water by Chinese-Canadian composer and marimba performer Pius Cheung; and Lin, Ching-Mei’s Pulsing Wave, based on Taichung’s Gaomei Wetlands.

About the Artist

The Ju Percussion Group Foundation, with the aid of the government, extends its influence to business and cultural circles for the benefit of culture and performing arts in Taiwan, promoting creativity and research standards, and promoting universalization, specialization and internationalization of music. Each year it holds an average of more than 100 performances, and every three years, it organizes the Taiwan International Percussion Festival.