The Taiwan Ten Drum Art Percussion Group, which is touring major American cities, will perform a free concert in East Greenwich’s Swift Gym Wednesday evening, thanks largely to the efforts of Sunny Ng, a local businessman.

/

EAST GREENWICH — It could be a call to arms.

It could be rain on a spring day.

It could be a saga of mythical gods in battle.

The ancient drum songs of China have many stories to tell and the public can hear those tales Wednesday night when a visiting troupe from Taiwan gives a free performance in Swift Gym.

The 7:30 show by the Taiwan Ten-Drum Art Percussion Group is the result of a collaboration of the town, the East Greenwich Rotary, the East Greenwich Free Library and the Rhode Island Association of Chinese Americans.

The drum troupe, which consists of young teenagers, is on a cultural tour of this country with stops in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C.

How the small town of East Greenwich ended up on the list –– with a free performance, no less –– is largely due to the effort and energy of resident Sunny Ng, Town Manager William Sequino Jr. said yesterday.

Ng, a real estate developer and owner of a local dry-cleaning business, has long been active in events promoting Taiwanese and classic Chinese heritage throughout the state –– including the popular Dragon Boat races that have become a summer tradition on the Pawtucket River in the Blackstone Valley.

Sequino said that he was in Ng’s store, Oriental Cleaners, when Ng began prodding him to get enough people together to have an East Greenwich crew in the Dragon Boat races.

Ng, a member of the Rhode Island Association of Chinese Americans and an advocate of cultural exchange programs, also mentioned to Sequino that if the boats weren’t enough of a lure, he might be able to arrange for a Taiwanese performance in town.

“That was it,” said Sequino, who had been avoiding any promise to join a rowing team. “I told him that if he could get a group to come to town, we would provide the venue and any other help.”

Thus the concert was launched, and yesterday Ng, town officials and representatives of the Rotary sat around a conference table in Town Hall trying to iron out the details for a night that will treat the public to a unique event.

“This is a group that will be traveling the country and anyone who wants has a chance to see them here in a small town, at no cost,” Sequino said. “It’s a wonderful cultural opportunity and that’s why we jumped at the chance.”

He said the Rotary club has a liquor license for the performance and will be selling refreshments to raise scholarship money for local students.

Ng said he was able to schedule the drum troupe with the help of the Boston Cultural Center and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston. Officials from the Taipei cultural office, which acts like an embassy, are expected to attend Wednesday night, and Governor Carcieri –– also a regular at Ng’s cleaning business –– has been invited, he said.

“This is a chance to let people learn more about Chinese culture,” Ng said yesterday. “The tradition of drumming is very old and goes back thousands of years.”

Ng, 56, came to this country when he was 24, settling in North Providence. He has lived in East Greenwich for the last 20 years and says he can’t see moving, although he does travel to Taiwan at least once year.

East Greenwich is not only his business base but home for his family, he said. And as much as next Wednesday is about showcasing Chinese culture it is also a chance to sharing a little bit of East Greenwich with international guests.

The theme for this year’s performance by Ten Drum is “The Power of Courage,” and Sequino and Ng said they hope a lot of people take the opportunity to hear the thunder.

bpoliche@projo.com