So Percussion is a New York-based percussion quartet formed in 1999 that works to create, commission, and perform new compositions. They have recorded over thirty albums and have appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Hall, and the Barbican to name just a few. To celebrate their 25th Anniversary season, they have released a stunning 8-disc box set, featuring 500 minutes of entirely new and previously-unreleased recordings of 21st century music, each piece written for, in collaboration with, and premiered by Sō Percussion. Over the years, they have collaborated with composers such as Caroline Shaw, Julia Wolfe, David Lang, Nathalie Joachim, and Angelica Negron, as well as with Shara Nova, The Nationalist, and Bryce Dessner.
The So in So Percussion comes from the second character in the Japanese word ensou, which means "to perform music." The four members of So Percussion are: founding member and drum set specialist, Jason Treuting, Adam Sliwinski (who is particularly interested in keyboard instruments), Josh Quillen (an expert Steel Drum artist), and Eric Cha-Beach (who loves to learn and play a variety of new percussion instruments). The ensemble is rooted in the belief that music is an elemental form of human communication and connection. Through their organization, they seek to create a wide range of social and community outreach initiatives.
So will present three sets at Big Ears 2026, collaborating with many different artists, including, but not limited to, Caroline Shaw, Ringdown, and percussion students and faculty members from the University of TN.
A schedule and additional information is available at https://bigearsfestival.org/
More information about So Percussion can be found here: https://sopercussion.com/
