The first, entirely improvised NEXUS concert in 1971 marked the formation of a group that would touch and entertain people of all levels of musical learning, in all genres of percussion music. Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Robin Engelman, Russell Hartenberger and Garry Kvistad are virtuosos alone, and bring elements of their knowledge and character to a distinct and powerful whole. They stand out in the contemporary music scene for the innovation and diversity of their programs, their impressive history of collaborations and commissions, their revival of 1920's novelty ragtime xylophone music, and their influential improvisatory ideas. NEXUS' firm commitment to music education and a steady output of quality CD recordings and compositions by its members continues to enhance the role of percussion in the 21st century.

NEXUS' music, with its widespread appeal, has taken the group on tours of Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Brazil, Scandinavia, Europe, and regularly to the United States and Canada. NEXUS is proud to have been the first Western percussion group to perform in the People's Republic of China. They have also enjoyed participating at international music festivals such as the Adelaide, Holland, Budapest Spring, Singapore Arts, Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Blossom Music Festivals, as well as the BBC Proms in London, Music Today and Music Joy festivals in Tokyo, and many World Drum Festivals. NEXUS is the recipient of the Banff Centre for the Arts National Award and the Toronto Arts Award. NEXUS was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1999, just before celebrating their 30th anniversary season.

Especially renowned for their improvisational skills, NEXUS was called upon to create the chilling musical score for the Academy Award-winning feature-length documentary "The Man Who Skied Down Everest". Television and radio broadcasters such as the CBS TV, PBS, and CBC have regularly featured this leading percussion ensemble. NEXUS' list of high-profile collaborations includes the Kronos Quartet, the Canadian Brass, and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.

Toru Takemitsu, a great friend to NEXUS, composed one of their signature pieces, "From me flows what you call Time". This work, written with each NEXUS member's personality in mind, was premiered for Carnegie Hall's centennial celebration in 1990 with Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Compelled to share their insatiable curiosity, knowledge, and passion for their art, NEXUS has contributed greatly to musical education with symphonic and solo programs for family audiences from "The Story of Percussion in the Orchestra" to their concert, "An African Celebration". Internationally, they have participated in high school, college and university residencies giving masterclasses, workshops and concerts. NEXUS members consistently write compositions that become core repertoire for percussion ensembles.

In September of 2005, the world premiere recording of Pulitzer Prize winning composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's "Rituals" for NEXUS and Chamber Orchestra was released, featuring NEXUS and the IRIS Orchestra under the direction of Michael Stern. NEXUS' last solo CD, Juno-nominated "Drumtalker" was released in 2004, and a new solo CD entitled "Wings" will be released shortly. Their CD "out of the blue" with Fritz Hauser was released in March 2007. Recent events include concerts with the Kansas City Symphony, the Pacific Symphony, and the Oklahoma Bandmasters Conference, as well as solo concerts and an appearance with the St.Paul Chamber Orchestra at the 2007 Ojai Festival in California. Appearances in Canada include the Colours of Music and Cool Drummings Festivals as well as their popular annual residency at the Toronto Summer Music Academy and Festival. NEXUS has also performed at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Europe, the Seoul Drum Festival in Korea and the Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival in Melbourne Australia (September 2006), and has just completed a National Film Board of Canada soundtrack project. In September 2007, NEXUS will honor John Cage at Bard College's Fisher Center in New York, giving the U.S. premiere of Dance Music for Elfrid Ide (1940), which was rediscovered in 2005. (September 2007).