Dedicated to contemporary music and open to a wide range of sonic worlds, the Drumming Percussion Group, founded and directed by the internationally renowned percussionist and educator Miquel Bernat, has established itself since its creation in 1999 as one of the leading percussion ensembles on the international scene.

The group was ensemble-in-residence for Porto 2001, European Capital of Culture, and performs regularly at some of Portugal’s most prestigious venues, including Fundação Gulbenkian, Teatro Nacional de São João, Culturgest, Centro Cultural de Belém, Teatro Rivoli, Serralves and Casa da Música. Internationally, the ensemble has performed in numerous countries across Europe, Latin America and Africa.

Drumming GP explores new forms of performance that combine music, staging and other artistic disciplines in order to create innovative concert experiences. Its repertoire ranges from classical percussion to jazz, electronic music and rock, and also includes stage projects for theatre, opera and dance.

The group pioneered the creation of a timbila orchestra — a traditional African instrument and ancestor of the marimba — and the first steel drum ensemble in the Iberian Peninsula, performing both traditional repertoire and new works written specifically for the ensemble.

Committed to contemporary creation, Drumming has commissioned and premiered dozens of works since 1999, collaborating with leading composers and artists and making a significant contribution to the development of the percussion ensemble repertoire.