Twincussion
Charismatic rising stars Jen-Ting and Jen-Yu Chien, the twin brothers that make up this percussion dynamic duo, are engaged advocates for Taiwanese folk songs, perceptive arrangers of Western classical showpieces, and champions of contemporary composers. Their technically superb and accessible programs connect music from East Asia to the West and instruments from marimbas, toms, and wind-chimes to Chinese opera gongs and electronics. Their concerts, appearances, and masterclasses are in growing demand on the international contemporary new music scene.
Performing together for 15 years — the duo made their international debut at the 2014 Southern California International Marimba Competition where they received the Grand Honorable Mention (second place). In 2016, they traveled to Europe and won first prize in the ensemble category at the International Percussion Competition in Italy.
In 2018, Twincussion won first prize in the New York Golden Classical Music Awards, Chamber Music Category, and made their NYC debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall; they presented a Showcase Concert at the Percussive Art Society International Convention in Indianapolis. In 2019-20, they performed at festivals and gave masterclasses in the U.K., Japan, Taiwan, Spain, Poland, China, Denmark, and Switzerland. In 2021-22, they made a Taiwanese concert tour to six major halls including the National Taichung Theater. ”Twincussion Duo,” their debut album, was released in 2022, followed by a European tour.
Twincussion has been actively promoting and organizing educational projects for young musicians. They were part of the jury panel for the Youth Tuned Percussion Competition in London (U.K.) and gave masterclasses and lectures to students at the University of Texas San Antonio, Michigan State University, Vanderbilt University, Middle Tennessee State University (USA), the 2019 National Percussion Workshop in Gdańsk (Poland) and the Royal Danish Academy of Music.
In 2023, the duo was selected as the Artist of Center Stage Season 6, presented by the U.S. Department of State. In their monthlong tour, they performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and traveled to Washington State for concerts, masterclasses, workshops, and many cultural exchanges. More recently, they will give a world premiere of a new double concerto “Flamboyer,“ composed by Li-Ying Wu (TW/DK), with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in May.
Jen-Ting and Jen-Yu both hold the Advanced Postgraduate (Soloist) Diploma at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and are currently artists of Yamaha and Innovative Percussion.