Interview: Erwin van Gemert, IPE

The introduction of the new European indoor percussion organisation 'Indoor Percussion Europe' at the end of October has caused a lot of commotion. Plenty of questions are being raised about this new initiative. Drumcorps.org.uk put them to Erwin van Gemert, one of the initiators and the IPE spokesperson.

Erwin van Gemert is a familiar name in the percussion world. He is an instructor, arranger and clinician and an initiator of InCorps. We asked him a few questions.


Why is Indoor Percussion Europe necessary?

"Indoor percussion always seems to be a guest at contests that actually concentrate on something else, both in the summer and the winter. For those spectators, the percussion groups often offer a good opportunity to go and get something to eat. As a result, percussion is not done justice to and this is why it deserves its own audience and events."


Why has IPE not chosen to collaborate with CGN?

"Let's look at the differences first. Indoor Percussion Europe focuses specifically on events that are organised on a European wide scale instead of just in the Netherlands. In addition, we will be using two different manuals later so that all percussion styles can take part. Of course, IPE is also open to discussions with organisations in Europe in order to be able to develop and grow."


Who is behind IPE?

"Besides four committee members, we have a reasonably large group of professionals, such as the people at InCorps, organisers, qualified judges and staff members. People with a lot of experience of DCI and WGI and who are well-versed in the business. Of course we make good use of the network we have already built up over the past years. As regards this network, we already have enough support now from Europe and the United States, where they warmly welcome this idea."


The IPE Championships fall on the same date as the CGN Championships. Why not choose a different date?

"I'm the first to admit that it has turned out rather unfortunate for the coming year. However, we are tied to flight tickets that have been booked and paid for by the American units. And we really do want the WGI star performers to participate as they are, of course, the highlight of the event. But we are not asking corps to switch contests. We certainly don't want any broken appointments. Once again, consider IPE as a good European alternative to CGN."


How serious will Indoor Percussion Europe become?

"We are first concentrating on the IPE Championships. Besides the WGI units Matrix and Father Ryan (USA) we can also add Top Secret (Switzerland), DrumSpirit (Belgium) and Edelweiss (France) to the list of participants. As from 2009, we will be aiming for regionals in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK.

We are also in discussions with indoor percussion units and other organisations with a view to working together. We have a good relationship with Winter Guard International for example. They have reacted positively to IPE and have agreed to the use of the WGI manual for the International Marching Percussion Class. The finishing touches are also being made to the European Marching Percussion manual which specifically focuses on the European units that are not covered by the WGI manual.

Sponsorship has also been dealt with seriously. We are also taking advantage of our network as far as we can for this purpose and are holding continuous talks with interesting parties, not only concerning the financial aspect of things, but also as regards bringing over WGI units, judges or clinicians to Europe. Dynasty is first, seeing as Rhythm X came over last year and Matrix and Father Ryan will be in Europe in a few months time."


What can percussion fans expect from IPE in future?

"Fans can expect spectacular shows at events where the sole focus is on percussion. We cannot promise anything of course but the contacts we have had for years will only get stronger and stronger, which will enable us to grow each year. This growth will translate into better hosting and contest facilities, training plans for both the units as well as the judges and, of course, more participants for the fans to watch.

If it was down to us, indoor percussion would be lifted to a higher level through the whole of Europe, both in terms of organisation and technique. A European platform where indoor percussion groups can really shine."