Beating a path to the New Year

In addition to the two taiko groups, two South Korean drumming groups will also be on hand. Hata combines traditional Korean folk dance with percussion music, and since its founding in 1995 has performed throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Dong Cheun performs a more modern brand of Korean drumming, and its all-female lineup takes drumming to new heights and performs contemporary fusion reworkings of traditional Korean tunes.

Taiwan's sole representative is the Ten Drum Arts Percussion group. Founded in 2000, the group has become well known for its unique compositions. By drawing musical inspiration from various sources, the Ten Drum group has create a hybrid brand of Taiwanese drumming that is now recognized worldwide. In addition to its numerous performances in front of home crowds, the group performed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and at the 2002 World Cup in Korea.

While there will be four performances per day throughout the festival, the loudest and most colorful spectacle will take place on New Year's Eve, when members of all the percussion groups will take to the stage to perform a percussive piece that has been especially commissioned to accompany the huge fireworks display that will greet the Year of The Rooster.

"The work is very special and has been composed as a celebration of Taiwanese culture. The tune is based on the percussive rhythms once employed in southern Taiwan by Aboriginal jump-drum percussionists," said Hsieh.

The festival will also feature a host of other activities for both the young and old. These include an exhibition of percussion instruments from around the world and a feature-length animated movie based on the Chinese mythical tale Rescue from Hades (目蓮救母), which features a bevy of martial arts and Oriental drumming.

A first for this year's festival will be the firing of one the three-hundred-year old cannons that sit atop the Eternal Golden Castle's gun emplacements. While organizers are keeping tight-lipped as to how the antique artillery will actually be fired, they remain confident that the cannons will make a whooping-big bang.

For your information :

What: 2005 Taiwan International Drum Music Festival (2005台灣國際鼓樂節)

Where: Erkunshen Fortress "Eternal Golden Castle" 3, Guangchou Rd, An-Ping District, Tainan (台南市安平區光州路3號 -- 億載金城)