CGN Percussion Advisory Team Started

The new CGN Percussion Advisory Team has officially started yesterday with a meeting in Breda. Part of all members came to Breda to start discussions on this new team. CGN wants to use this team as a close contact to the activity. The group consists of knowledgeable people from the percussion field.

Members of the team don’t act as a representative of a unit, but from their interest in Indoor Percussion and their personal knowledge. Indoor Percussion is a relatively new field in Color Guard Nederland. This needs to be developed, but CGN prefers to do that with the participants in a way they can support. CGN chairman Paul Doop insisted that CGN has only one group in eyesight in everything it does, the members of the participating groups. They must have an unforgettable experience no matter what. “You can plan all you want as an organization, if the groups don’t like what you are doing, you are doing something wrong”, according to Doop. “CGN wants to offer Indoor Percussion in a way designed by the people doing it.”

CGN is very proud of the members in this group. It’s a group of people with widespread experiences and a great cross-section of the activity. Not all could be present yesterday, but this team will not be meeting a lot, doing stuff is more important. The members are:

Niels Merkx is not only CGN’s Project Manager Indoor Percussion, but was active in Percussion Unlimited for years. Before that he was part of The Netherlands first Indoor Percussion participant, Drumfanfare Vaartbroek.

Jelle Roeper started out in Con Spirito from Joure. He has tought several corps like: Con Spirito (Joure), Rhythm Stars (Sneek), Beatrix’(Hilversum), North Frisian Percussion Corps (Dokkum), Showband Marum (Marum) and the Northern Percussion Alliance. Jelle studied classical Percussion at the conservatory and received his bachelors and masters there. He’s a professional percussion teacher and project coordinator at the Centre for Arts . Since a few years he’s judging for CGN Percussion and Kunstfactor.

Cedric Paques has been the leader of the French Blue Lions for years now and was affiliated with the Evolutionkorps. He’s a professional tour operator for artists.

Hans Tims is well known as the owner of Percussionstore Tims Toms. The drummer from Dordrecht tought and marched in Jubal and presently at Jong jubal from Dordrecht.

Willeke Versteeg is a member of the Beatrix’ Percussion Ensemble from Hilversum. She was a member and staff member of several American and Dutch groups like Beatrix’, Federatieband, Pioneer and Boston Crusaders.

Adrian Jones is well known for his work with Vintage, one of CGN’s most loyal Indoor Percussion groups from England. He and Vintage were part responsible for the start of Indoor Percussion in Great-Britain.

Jenne Kits has been on staff Oranje Grootegast and Harmonie Leek and more recently with Northern Percussion Alliance, Rhythm Stars, Showband Marum and Showkorps Dindua. Jenne teaches at several groups and judges individual contests regularly.

Johan Delacauw is a well known name in the Belgian corps scene. He’s one of the pioneers in Belgium and brought the very First Indoor Percussion champion ‘Coastliners’ to CGN. He still teaches at several groups, including Kameleon from Oostende.

Cor Tjipjes has been around for many years now. Especially for Premier from Krommenie, one of CGN’s most loyal Percussion groups. He’s responsible for a lot of the organization of Premier and knows the activity like no one else.

Isabelle Eggermont is staff member of Unik Star (formerly Showband USA) from France. She has been around for quite a few years and has doen a lot of different things in Music in the USA and France, like percussion music and choirs.

Ramon Opmeer Is well known too. This Jubal Percussion Caption Head marched in the USA with Madison Scouts in some of the best known programs of the Madison corps in the 1990’s.

Dirk-Jan van Groningen is known for his company Show & Marching Music and arranges Music for a huge number of groups. Like CMH Percussion Ensemble. They will return to CGN Percussion in 2008. Dirk-Jan judged the CGN Individuals & Ensembles this year. He was an instructor at many groups and specializes in arranging.

Bob van der Kolk was a member of Beatrix’ from Hilversum and was a Percussion Judge for Drum Corps Holland in the nineties. Since Bob is not only a percussionist, but also active as a professional event organizer, he can share his expertise in many different ways.

Rob Beeren is the chairman of Percussion Unlimited and has marched with many drumbands from Eindhoven in the last 12 years. He also marched in Jubal for 2 years and has been with Percussion Unlimited since 1998.

On behalf of CGN Paul Doop. Edwin Beens and Peter Jan de Werk will be present at meetings. CGN thanks all members for committing to this team and especially the activity. They are all helping to improve the future of Indoor Percussion in The Netherlands and beyond.