About
Calendar
Media Center
Press Kit

ETHOS PERCUSSION GROUP BIO

Ethos Percussion Group is America’s premier percussion quartet presenting an energetic potpourri of musical genres from around the globe.  Highly regarded for their Western chamber music expertise, individual members are also virtuosos on exotic instruments from Indonesia, West Africa, India and the Middle East.  Audiences of all ages are thrilled as they perform landmark works by John Cage, Steve Reich and Philip Glass, then can hardly sit still in their seats as they are treated to highly intoxicating rhythms from Guinea and Calcutta.  "Spellbinding", "astonishing" and "immaculate" rave the critics.  The New York Times has hails the group for its "expert togetherness, sensitivity and zest." Their unique performances seamlessly transport global influences into Western chamber music to create a visually and aurally compelling experience.

For 25 years Ethos has performed at major concert venues across the United States and abroad including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, London's Wigmore Hall, and the Bermuda Festival.  Ethos has been a major proponent in expanding the percussion quartet repertoire by commissioning more than twenty-five new works from composers steeped in the musical traditions of Argentina, Brazil, China, Cuba, Ghana, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Korea, Palestine and the United States.  Collaborators have included the Kansas City Symphony, Grammy Award-winning frame drum master Glen Velez, West African sensations Bernard Woma (Ghana) and M'Bemba Bangouran (Guinea), as well as North Indian masters Pandit Samir Chatterjee (tabla) and Ramesh Misra (sarangi). 

From the outset Ethos has demonstrated its commitment to advancing the percussive arts in education. In addition to presenting clinics and master classes at institutions such as The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, University of Illinois, and Berklee College of Music, Ethos has worked with thousands of students in New York City's public schools through concert and classroom activities. Long-term educational residencies around the country have included programs with Sun Valley Center for the Arts, Hancher Auditorium and Quad City Arts. Ethos is currently ensemble-in-residence at Lehman College, Bronx, NY.
Ethos gratefully endorses products from Cooperman Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Innovative Mallets and Yamaha.              

ethos group photo 2011