Pius Cheung, percussion

Hailed by the New York Times as “deeply expressive” for his groundbreaking recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on solo marimba, Pius is widely known as one of the most important percussionists of his generation. He has presented solo recitals at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Kyoto Arts Center (Japan), as well as music festivals around the globe such as the Usedom Music Festival (Germany), Hong Kong Arts Festival, Taiwan International Percussion Convention, Chiapas International Marimba Festival (Mexico), Drum Fest (Poland), Percussion Plus Festival (Denmark), Italy PAS International Percussion Festival, Osaka Percussion Festival and Shenyang International Percussion Festival (China).  

As one of the most sought-after composers for percussion today, Pius’ latest works include Allegro Brutale, commissioned by Dame Evelyn Glennie; Heaven and Earth, a 40-minute ballet for percussion ensemble and dancers; two percussion concerti, Princess Chang Ping and Heaven and Earth, for the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra; Theater, Resonance, and Zen, a percussion duo concerto for the Taiwan Chinese Orchestra; and Synced/UnSynced, a work designed for remote ensemble of free instrumentation. 

Pius endorses Yamaha, Zildjian, Remo, and Innovative Percussion, which produces his signature mallet series. He is currently an Associate Professor and Chair of the Percussion Area at the University of Oregon.