Third Coast Percussion

Third Coast Percussion (TCP), Chicago’s Grammy Award-winning percussion quartet and Grammy-nominated composer collective, made history as the first percussion ensemble to win the revered music award in the classical genre. To date, TCP has garnered seven total Grammy nominations.

Marking its 20th anniversary in 2025, TCP continues its milestone celebrations with exciting and unexpected performances worldwide that “constantly redefine the classical music experience” (Forbes) and “push percussion in new directions, blurring musical boundaries and beguiling new listeners” (NPR), with a brilliantly varied sonic palette and “dazzling rhythmic workouts” (Pitchfork).

Representing “one of the most enterprising and creative ensembles working today” (WFMT), the artists of Third Coast Percussion are in-demand collaborators who have worked closely with a range of artists including choreographers Twyla Tharp, Lil Buck, and Jon Boogz; composer/performers Zakir Hussain, Jessie Montgomery, and Jlin; and composers Philip Glass, Missy Mazzoli, and Danny Elfman, among many others. The ensemble has been praised for the “rare power” (Washington Post) of its 30+ recordings, and its “inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune). Third Coast Percussion maintains a busy tour schedule, with past performances in 42 of the 50 states and Washington, DC, plus international tour dates across four continents and 14 countries, amassing more than 300,000 audience members over two decades.

TCP’s 2025–26 season takes the ensemble from Chicago to New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and beyond, with almost two dozen domestic engagements. International tour dates include first performances in Serbia, Montenegro, and Latvia, in addition to engagements in Paris. This season also brings a busy schedule at home in Chicago, with performances at Northwestern University (the ensemble’s alma mater), the Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Chicago, and more. The ensemble’s passion for teaching and engagement will be on display in residencies at Denison University in Ohio and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada, as well as master classes at dozens of domestic and international tour stops.

Third Coast Percussion continues to push the boundaries of contemporary percussion performance with its ambitious and highly anticipated 2025–26 programming, which includes several new works alongside celebrated favorites from the ensemble’s two decades of repertoire. Along with this evening’s program featuring Murmurs in Time, the final masterwork of acclaimed composer and tabla superstar Zakir Hussain, and featuring tabla artist Salar Nader, notable programs this season also include Strum, Strike, Bend, featuring composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery, and Time Pieces: The New Classical, Third Coast Percussion’s celebratory program featuring the ensemble’s 20th Anniversary commissions from Tigran Hamasyan, Jessie Montgomery, and others. Favorite programs returning this season include PLAY! with Clarice Assad, a powerhouse concerto in three movements for percussion quartet, vocalist, and orchestra; and Metamorphosis, featuring choreography by Movement Art Is (Lil Buck and Jon Boogz), as performed by Cameron Murphy and Trent Jeray.

A direct connection with the audience is at the core of Third Coast Percussion’s work, whether the musicians are speaking from the stage about a new piece of music, inviting the audience to play along in a concert or educational performance, or uniting fans around the world through platforms including the group’s popular YouTube channel, a hub for its latest music, and a robust presence on Instagram and other social platforms. The four members of Third Coast are also accomplished teachers, dedicating time each season to educational residencies, music outreach performances and programs, and school partnerships to encourage active participation by students of all ages.

The quartet’s curiosity and eclectic taste have led to a series of unlikely collaborations yielding exciting new art. The artists’ omnivorous musical appetites, paired with approachable and flexible working methods, remove collaborative boundaries across cultures and disciplines. The ensemble has worked with engineers at the University of Notre Dame, architects at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, dancers at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and musicians from traditions ranging from the mbira music of Zimbabwe’s Shona people, to indie rockers and footwork producers, to some of the world’s leading concert musicians. Third Coast Percussion served as ensemble in residence at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center from 2013–18, and currently serves as ensemble in residence at Denison University.

Starting with a commission for a new work from composer Augusta Read Thomas in 2012, Third Coast Percussion has embraced the principle that commissioning new musical works can be—and should be—as collaborative as any other artistic partnership. Through extensive workshopping and close contact with composers, TCP has commissioned and premiered more than 125 new works from composers including Zakir Hussain, Jessie Montgomery, Philip Glass, Clarice Assad, Danny Elfman, Jlin, Tigran Hamasyan, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Missy Mazzoli, Ivan Trevino, Tyondai Braxton, and leading early-career composers encountered through TCP’s annual Currents Creative Partnership. These commissioned works have become part of the ensemble’s core repertoire and seen hundreds of performances around the world. In 2023, Jlin’s Perspective, commissioned by TCP, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Third Coast Percussion’s recordings include 21 feature albums and appearances on 14 additional collaborative releases. During the 2024–25 season, the ensemble released two new albums to great acclaim: In Aguas da Amazonia (Rockwell Records), named for the title work by Philip Glass, TCP captures its bespoke arrangement of Glass’ composition for Twyla Tharp Dance, hailed as “an uplifting and meditative exploration of the soul” by BBC Music Magazine. TCP’s subsequent 20th anniversary recording, Standard Stoppages (Cedille Records), was hailed as “not only highly listenable in itself, but also offers a new direction for an ensemble that has been around for 20 years and seems likely to be around for 20 more” (All Music).

Besides putting its stamp on iconic percussion works by John Cage and Steve Reich, the quartet has created first recordings of commissioned works by Zakir Hussain, Jessie Montgomery, Philip Glass, Clarice Assad, Danny Elfman, Jlin, Devonté Hynes, Tigran Hamasyan, Augusta Read Thomas, Missy Mazzoli, and others—in addition to recordings of original Third Coast compositions. In 2017, the ensemble won the Grammy for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for its recording of Steve Reich’s works for percussion. TCP has received five additional Grammy nominations as performers, plus the group’s first Grammy nomination as composers in 2021. Over the last decade, TCP has amassed more than 5 million listeners and more than 10 million streams on Spotify.

Third Coast Percussion has always maintained strong ties to the vibrant artistic community in the group’s hometown of Chicago, collaborating with local institutions including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Uniting Voices Chicago choir, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Humanities Festival, and the Adler Planetarium. TCP has performed at the grand opening of Maggie Daley Children’s Park; conducted residencies at the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago; created multi-year collaborative projects with Chicago-based composers Jessie Montgomery, Clarice and Sérgio Assad, Augusta Read Thomas, Glenn Kotche, and chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird; and taught tens-of-thousands of students through partnerships with Uniting Voices Chicago, the People’s Music School, the Chicago Park District, Rush Hour Concerts, Urban Gateways, Changing Worlds, and others. The ensemble looks forward to a partnership with the Art Institute of Chicago in January 2026.

The four members of Third Coast Percussion (Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore) met while studying percussion music at Northwestern University with Michael Burritt and James Ross, forming Third Coast Percussion in 2005. From their base in Chicago, the four friends carefully and thoughtfully built a thriving nonprofit organization—including full-time staff, office/studio space, and a board of directors—to support their vision and facilitate their efforts to bring new works to life. Members of TCP also hold degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Rutgers University, the New England Conservatory, and the Yale School of Music.

Stay up-to-date and go behind-the-scenes by following Third Coast on Instagram (@ThirdCoastPercussion), YouTube (@thirdcoastpercussion), TikTok (@thirdcoastpercussion), Facebook (@Third Coast Percussion) and LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/third-coast-percussion).

Third Coast Percussion is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.