Formed in 1995 as an extension of the Winthrop University Percussion Ensemble, the World Percussion Ensemble performs mainly on djembe hand drums from Guinea and Mali. The group also occasionally performs on North African frame drums and Ewe barrel drums from Ghana, and mbira dzavadzimu from Zimbabwe. The group has performed at public schools and colleges throughout South Carolina and the Charlotte metropolitan area, and has been featured at the NAFDA Southern Festival in Atlanta, PASIC 2008 in Austin, SCPAS Day of Percussion, and the Radford University Percussion Symposium, among many others. Noted for their authentic drumming and singing, the ensemble has had a long association with master drummer and choreographer Mohamed Da Costa from Guinea, West Africa, who has appeared with the group annually since 1995 and performed with them on their CD recording, First Construction.