The highly acclaimed, Grammy-nominated New Jersey Percussion Ensemble is in residence at William Paterson University. Raymond DesRoches founded the ensemble in 1968 and directed it into the 1990s. Peter Jarvis then took over and directed NJPE until 2018, at which point Payton MacDonald began co-directing the ensemble with him. Because of the ensemble’s commitment to high-level performances of percussion repertoire, numerous pieces have been written for, premiered by, and recorded by the group. The New Jersey Percussion Ensemble has appeared in the United States and Europe as guests of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the San Francisco Symphony, the Gaudeamus Foundation, Radio Denmark, Composers Concordance and countless others. In 2018 NJPE performed a Showcase Concert at PASIC, with Grammy-winner and frame drum master Glen Velez. Also in 2018 a documentary film titled “Ringing Changes, 50 Years of New Jersey Percussion Ensemble” was released. The group can be heard on Nonesuch, Composer’s Recording Inc., Music and Arts, Koch International, Desoto, New World, NAXOS, the Composers Guild of New Jersey, Capstone and other recording labels.
New Jersey Percussion Ensemble 