BOOM! International Festival of Percussion rumbles into Perth

The BOOM! International Festival of Percussion will hit Perth’s ECU Mt. Lawley campus from Thursday, September 26, to Saturday, September 28.

The only national percussion festival in Australia, it will offer an array of concerts, masterclasses, community workshops and late-night performances featuring leading Australian percussionists.

Hosted by the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and presented by Percussion Australia, BOOM! celebrates Australian multiculturalism through a diverse range of percussion styles. Attendees will experience performances inspired by the cultures of Asia, South America, Europe, and Africa, showcasing global drumming traditions.

Workshops will include Japanese taiko drumming and Brazilian samba and are accompanied by notable performances such as Point Line Area Time, directed by Swiss artist Fritz Hauser, as well as contributions from Australia’s celebrated ensemble, Synergy Percussion.

“Every culture on Earth has some kind of percussion or drumming,” said Ian Cleworth, the artistic director of BOOM!, “There’s something deep inside us all that can’t resist the sound of a drumbeat. It makes us want to get up, dance, and get involved. It frees us from our inhibitions and takes us out of ourselves.”

The festival will also showcase emerging artists, including Perth-based composer and percussionist Gabrielle Lee, with her work, My Hakka Grandmother, delving into themes of migration, family, food, love and loss.

The festival’s workshop program also offers the opportunity for music students and enthusiasts to participate in a community workshop led by experimental percussionist Thea Rossen. Those keen are invited to bring their own flowerpots for a performance that will open the festival’s events. The festival will also feature Cosmic Time, a fusion of light and movement, and a closing party by DJ Rosie Taylor that explores the crossover between technology and drumming.

BOOM! International Festival of Percussion hits WAAPA from Thursday, September 26 to Saturday, September 28, 2024. For more info and to buy tickets, head to eventbrite.com.au