Twincussion
Twincussion
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Sixth & I
“Mesmerizing!” – Classic FM
Twin-brother percussion duo Twincussion brings virtuosic flair to a program bridging Taiwanese folk tradition, classical, and innovative contemporary works through marimbas, wind chimes, Chinese opera gongs, and electronics. Handel’s Passacaglia, arranged by Halvorsen and reimagined for percussion, showcases the duo’s technical brilliance. Wayne Siegel’s 42nd Street Rondo (XiMenDing) and Tomasz Golinski’s Layered Elements explore rhythmic complexity and vitality, while Minoru Miki’s Marimba Spiritual II channels ceremonial intensity. Experience a program that invites listeners into a world where East meets West, and tradition meets modernity.
Presented by Washington Performing Arts in partnership with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO).
Program Details
Yi-Chih Lu / Twincussion – Cloudy Sky (Traditional)
George Frideric Handel / Halvorsen / Twincussion – Passacaglia
Yi-Chih Lu / Twincussion – Longing for the Spring Breeze (Traditional)
Wayne Siegel / Twincussion – 42nd Street Rondo (XiMenDing)
Frédéric Chopin – Etude Op. 10, No. 3
Tomasz Golinski – Layered Elements
Minoru Miki – Marimba Spiritual II
More About the Artists
Jen-Ting and Jen-Yu Chien, the twin brothers known as Twincussion, are redefining percussion in the global contemporary music scene. With roots in Taiwanese folk music and innovative interpretations of Western classical pieces, their cross-cultural performances blend instruments from marimbas and wind-chimes to Chinese opera gongs and electronics, uniting Eastern and Western traditions. Recognized as ambassadors of contemporary music, Twincussion’s live performances, masterclasses, and festival appearances are in growing demand worldwide.
The duo’s international journey began at the 2014 Southern California International Marimba Competition, and they won first prize at the 2016 International Percussion Competition in Italy. Since their Carnegie Hall debut in 2018, they’ve performed extensively across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. In 2023, Twincussion was honored as Artists of Center Stage Season 6 by the U.S. Department of State, performing at the Kennedy Center and premiering Flamboyer, a double concerto by Li-Ying Wu, with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. That same year, they won Best Arrangement at Taiwan’s Golden Music Awards.
In 2024, Twincussion performed at Champs Libres Hall in France, collaborated with Taiwan’s Evergreen Symphony and Taipei Chinese Orchestra, and launched a percussion quartet project with Japan’s Marimba Twins, captivating thousands across six cities in Japan and Taiwan.
In 2025, Twincussion has been invited to perform at the 33rd Annual Concordia Percussion Day in the United States, as well as the Classical:NEXT Showcase in Berlin, further expanding their international presence. Upcoming highlights include the Twincussion International Summer Academy and a special 2 Percussion & 2 Piano concert at the National Concert Hall in Taiwan.
Jen-Ting and Jen-Yu both hold the Advanced Postgraduate (Soloist) Diploma at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and are currently endorsed artists of Yamaha and Innovative Percussion. Twincussion’s artistry and cultural commitment position them as pioneering voices in contemporary percussion.
Program Notes
Yi-Chih Lu – Cloudy Sky (Traditional)
Cloudy Sky
Composer: Lin Fu-Yu
Arranged by: Yi-Chih Lu & Twincussion
In the drizzly mountain village of Jinguashi, sounds and noises grow louder. As it turns out, grandpa and grandma are (again) arguing about how to cook an eel for dinner: should the recipe be salty and spicy, or the opposite—a comfortably combative argument regularly played out during their many years together. Cloudy Sky musically depicts the relationship of this old couple as they banter and jab and recall the many hardships they have faced together as farmers in a rugged, rainy, and rural landscape.
George Frideric Handel – Passacaglia
Passacaglia
Composer: George Frideric Handel
Arranged by: Johan Halvorsen & Twincussion (after Halvorsen’s “The Impossible Duet”)
A passacaglia is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain that is still used today by composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often, but not always, based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple meter. This passacaglia, arranged by Twincussion, is inspired by Handel’s Harpsichord Suite in G minor and its subsequent treatment by Johan Halvorsen for violin and cello familiarly known as the “The Impossible Duet.”
Yi-Chih Lu – Longing for the Spring Breeze (Traditional)
Longing for the Spring Breeze
Composer: Teng Yu-Hsien
Arranged by: Yi-Chih Lu & Twincussion
A beloved Taiwanese classic composed by Teng Yu-Hsien in the 1930s, Longing for the Spring Breeze captures the bittersweet yearning of a young girl awaiting love.
In this arrangement by pianist Yi-Chih Lu and Twincussion, the nostalgic melody is reimagined through the marimba. Sharing a single instrument, the two percussionists simulate the expressive range of a pianist, with the melody leaping fluidly between them like the left and right hands of a piano. This inventive interpretation retains the tender charm of the original while adding rhythmic depth and contemporary resonance.
Wayne Siegel – 42nd Street Rondo (XiMenDing)
42nd Street Rondo (XiMenDing)
Composer: Wayne Siegel
Arranged by: Twincussion
The title originally refers to the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway in Manhattan, where street musicians often perform. The continuous changing rhythms portray the movements of people and vehicles as the streetlights change. When we play it, we often felt like it could be any location with the most hustle-bustle place. So today, let the music bring you to one of the busiest intersections in Taiwan.
Frédéric Chopin – Étude Op. 10, No. 3
Étude Op. 10 No. 3
Composer: Frédéric Chopin
Arranged by: Twincussion
Chopin’s Etude Op. 10 No. 3 is one of his most beloved melodies, originally written for solo piano. Known for its lyrical flow and emotional depth, the piece is reimagined by Twincussion for marimba and vibraphone. The warm resonance of the marimba and the shimmering tone of the vibraphone bring a new sonic texture to this romantic gem. Through the interplay of timbres and voices, Twincussion transforms Chopin’s pianistic expression into a dialogue between two melodic percussion instruments, highlighting both the intimacy and poignancy of the original.
Tomasz Golinski – Layered Elements
Layered Elements
Composer: Tomasz Golinski
Commissioned for Twincussion
Tomasz Golinski is a Polish composer, marimbaist, and percussionist. He is one of the leading composers and performers of his generation on the international marimba/ percussion scene. Twincussion commissioned this work and premiered it for their 2018 Showcase Concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis. In addition to two marimbas, instrumentation includes drum sets and an electronics track.
Minoru Miki – Marimba Spiritual II
Marimba Spiritual II
Composer: Minoru Miki
Arranged by: Twincussion
Composed in 1983-84 by Minoru Miki, Marimba Spiritual is one of the most well-known, widely performed, and important pieces for marimba ever written. It was originally written for one solo marimba and three percussionists. This piece of music gained even wider fame when it was highlighted on Broadway with the show Blast! (2001)
In 1984, many people died in Africa from starvation. As a person who had experienced similar suffering in Japan before and after the end of World War II, Miki could not be silent. Rather he felt that he must express his condolences and anger about the crisis. He composed the first slow section as a static requiem, and the second fast section as lively resurrection.
Twincussion’s arrangement for two musicians adds Taiwanese instruments to the mix, deepening the fellowship of this seminal work that is played by percussionists around the world.
All program notes written by Twincussion
Cloudy Sky
Composer: Lin Fu-Yu
Arranged by: Yi-Chih Lu & Twincussion
In the drizzly mountain village of Jinguashi, sounds and noises grow louder. As it turns out, grandpa and grandma are (again) arguing about how to cook an eel for dinner: should the recipe be salty and spicy, or the opposite—a comfortably combative argument regularly played out during their many years together. Cloudy Sky musically depicts the relationship of this old couple as they banter and jab and recall the many hardships they have faced together as farmers in a rugged, rainy, and rural landscape.
Passacaglia
Composer: George Frideric Handel
Arranged by: Johan Halvorsen & Twincussion (after Halvorsen’s “The Impossible Duet”)
A passacaglia is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain that is still used today by composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often, but not always, based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple meter. This passacaglia, arranged by Twincussion, is inspired by Handel’s Harpsichord Suite in G minor and its subsequent treatment by Johan Halvorsen for violin and cello familiarly known as the “The Impossible Duet.”
Longing for the Spring Breeze
Composer: Teng Yu-Hsien
Arranged by: Yi-Chih Lu & Twincussion
A beloved Taiwanese classic composed by Teng Yu-Hsien in the 1930s, Longing for the Spring Breeze captures the bittersweet yearning of a young girl awaiting love.
In this arrangement by pianist Yi-Chih Lu and Twincussion, the nostalgic melody is reimagined through the marimba. Sharing a single instrument, the two percussionists simulate the expressive range of a pianist, with the melody leaping fluidly between them like the left and right hands of a piano. This inventive interpretation retains the tender charm of the original while adding rhythmic depth and contemporary resonance.
42nd Street Rondo (XiMenDing)
Composer: Wayne Siegel
Arranged by: Twincussion
The title originally refers to the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway in Manhattan, where street musicians often perform. The continuous changing rhythms portray the movements of people and vehicles as the streetlights change. When we play it, we often felt like it could be any location with the most hustle-bustle place. So today, let the music bring you to one of the busiest intersections in Taiwan.
Étude Op. 10 No. 3
Composer: Frédéric Chopin
Arranged by: Twincussion
Chopin’s Etude Op. 10 No. 3 is one of his most beloved melodies, originally written for solo piano. Known for its lyrical flow and emotional depth, the piece is reimagined by Twincussion for marimba and vibraphone. The warm resonance of the marimba and the shimmering tone of the vibraphone bring a new sonic texture to this romantic gem. Through the interplay of timbres and voices, Twincussion transforms Chopin’s pianistic expression into a dialogue between two melodic percussion instruments, highlighting both the intimacy and poignancy of the original.
Layered Elements
Composer: Tomasz Golinski
Commissioned for Twincussion
Tomasz Golinski is a Polish composer, marimbaist, and percussionist. He is one of the leading composers and performers of his generation on the international marimba/ percussion scene. Twincussion commissioned this work and premiered it for their 2018 Showcase Concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis. In addition to two marimbas, instrumentation includes drum sets and an electronics track.
Marimba Spiritual II
Composer: Minoru Miki
Arranged by: Twincussion
Composed in 1983-84 by Minoru Miki, Marimba Spiritual is one of the most well-known, widely performed, and important pieces for marimba ever written. It was originally written for one solo marimba and three percussionists. This piece of music gained even wider fame when it was highlighted on Broadway with the show Blast! (2001)
In 1984, many people died in Africa from starvation. As a person who had experienced similar suffering in Japan before and after the end of World War II, Miki could not be silent. Rather he felt that he must express his condolences and anger about the crisis. He composed the first slow section as a static requiem, and the second fast section as lively resurrection.
Twincussion’s arrangement for two musicians adds Taiwanese instruments to the mix, deepening the fellowship of this seminal work that is played by percussionists around the world.
All program notes written by Twincussion
Our Partners
Presented by Washington Performing Arts in partnership with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) and Ministry of Culture – Republic of China (Taiwan).
Washington Performing Arts’s classical music performances this season are made possible in part through the generous support of Betsy and Robert Feinberg.
Special thanks to the following lead supporters of Washington Performing Arts’s mission-driven work: Jacqueline Badger Mars and Mars, Incorporated; D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities; the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs Program and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; and Events DC.
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