Beating a path
Five other leading percussionists
Colin Currie
Another Scot, Currie was the first percussionist to reach the finals of BBC Young Musician of the Year (1994), was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2003-05 and is the founder of his own Colin Currie Group. Elliott Carter, Jennifer Higdon and Thea Musgrave have all written works for him.
Adrian Spillett
In 1998, while a student at the Royal Northern College of Music, Adrian Spillett became the first percussionist to win BBC Young Musician of the
Year. The following year he formed the ensemble 4-MALITY with which he has toured extensively. He has performed with several major UK orchestras.
Pei-ching Wu
A founder-member of the Ju Percussion Group, Wu has innovated marimba playing techniques involving up to six mallets. In 1999 she appeared with the Hungarian Amadinda Percussion Group in the Budapest Spring Festival and performed with pianist Martha Argerich in Taipei in 2001.
Simone Rubino
The Italian (pictured) made a spectacular impression when he won the Ard-musik wettbewerb in 2014, performing Avner Dorman’s Frozen in Time. He has recorded several albums, including 2019’s Water & Spirit for Sony.
O Duo
Formed in 2001 by Owen Gunnell and Oliver Cox while studying at the Royal College of Music, O Duo have toured to glowing press reviews and have recorded two albums for Champs Hill. Since 2018, Cox’s place in the duo has been filled by Toby Kearney.