percussionUNIT Hannover | Überschlag Festival 2026

A concert brimming with youthful energy, rhythmic precision, and a great love of music.

The Percussion UNIT at the University of Music, Drama, and Media in Hanover is one of the most exciting talent incubators for the next generation of international percussionists. With great precision, infectious energy, and palpable enthusiasm, the ensemble presents a program spanning classical, contemporary, and orchestral soundscapes.

The percussion UNIT brings together students from Prof. Henrik M. Schmidt’s renowned percussion class. Many of its members are already among the most promising young orchestral percussionists in Europe and will shape the world’s concert halls and opera houses in the coming years.

For Überschlag 2026, the ensemble will take the stage with a program showcasing the full range of contemporary ensemble percussion. At the heart of the program is an excerpt from Leonard Bernstein’s legendary *West Side Story*, arranged specifically for a large percussion ensemble—full of rhythm, energy, and orchestral colors.

The program is rounded out by Gene Koshinski’s virtuosic and playful *beyond the bEnd* and Andi Morag’s *Octabones*.