CRITICAL BEATS!
Percussion Ensemble Dedicated to Playing Video Game-Inspired Music
Founded by Joseph Chang in 2024, Critical Beats has been performing arrangements and compositions of video game music using the rich sonic palettes offered by percussion instruments. This artistic direction grew out of Joseph's arranging work during the pandemic, which eventually led to a commission from the Canadian Percussion Network for a medley based on Super Mario Galaxy 2. This arrangement, written for a 16-piece Festival Marimba Orchestra, was performed at The Space Between conference in January 2024. Building on the momentum of this commission, Joseph brought together four fellow students at the Schulich School of Music later that summer to perform an arrangement of Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl, laying the groundwork for what would become the Critical Beats.
In March 2025, the ensemble was expanded to a percussion sextet after being awarded the Elanor Stubley Recording Prize from McGill University, which supported the production of Elements of Adventure into an album. This eight-movement composition helped the ensemble solidify its identity as a professional percussion ensemble playing music inspired from video game soundtracks. In August 2025, the ensemble presented a movement at the Space Between IV conference taking place in Winnipeg, marking the ensemble's debut on the national stage.
Critical Beats is currently based in Montreal, consisting of six graduates from its three renowned music schools: McGill University, Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal, and Universitè de Montréal. The ensemble is dedicated to reimagining video game music through the vast timbral and textural palette of percussion, a dynamic force in contemporary classical music and interdisciplinary projects. By fusing the harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic elements from game soundtracks with both traditional and extended techniques, the ensemble bridges the accessibility of video game music with the rich sound world created by percussion ensembles.
Our mission is to ultimately connect with diverse audiences by bridging the storytelling and energy of video game music into live performance. Looking ahead, the ensemble is committed to expanding its repertoire through new compositions and arrangements, establishing itself as a distinctive voice at the crossroads of percussion and gaming communities.
Aurélien Becht
The Angel
Originally from Quebec City and based in Montreal since 2020, Aurélien completed a bachelor's degree in 2021 and a master's degree in 2025 at the Conservatoires du Québec and Montréal. He participated in the Québec première of Pierre Boulez with Orchestre 21, conducted by Paolo Bellomia, as well as a soloist for Keiko Abe's Prism Rhapsody with the Conservatory Orchestra. Alongside his studies, he participated in the 2020 and 2021 editions of NYO Canada and studied with Colin Currie, Krystina Marcoux, and David Brongo as a chamber musician. He has also collaborated with emerging composers and continues to teach drums and percussions, notably at the École Lumi in Université de Montréal (formally École des Jeunes) and at Camp Saint-Alexandre.
Theodore Lysyk
The Dark Mage
Theo is a multi-instrumentalist percussionist, music researcher, and educator. Currently studying his PhD in Applied Performances Sciences at McGill's Schulich School of Music, he received his Bachelor's of Percussion Performance at the University of Lethbridge under Adam Mason, and Master's in Percussion Performance at McGill under supervision of Fabrice Marandola, Shawn Mativetsky, Alexandre Lavoie, and Kristie Ibrahim. Primarily interested in the performing body, and how action turns to music, his research is concerned with recognizing and preventing injuries in percussionists from an interdisciplinary viewpoint, in order to facilitate the growth of percussion culture within Canada. Theo is currently based out of Montreal Quebec, where he gigs with orchestras and chamber ensembles around the city.
Chelsea Jaramillo
The Queen of Hearts
Chelsea completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Percussion Performance at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal under Nicolas Lapointe and Anne-Julie Caron. Chelsea is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma (D.E.S.S.) in timpani performance with Hugues Tremblay. She serves as timpanist for the Fidelio Orchestra and works as a percussion specialist at Collège Esther-Blondin and École Secondaire Joseph-François-Perrault. An active freelancer, Chelsea has performed with numerous ensembles, including the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Orchestre Symphonique de Drummondville, Orchestre Symphoinque de Laval, and I Musici de Montréal. As a soloist, she appeared as marimba soloist with the Orchestre Symphonique du Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal in 2019.
Polychornia Aretakis
The Royal Guard
Polly earned her bachelor's degree in percussion performance in 2023 at McGill University's Schulich School of Music under Fabrice Marandola. As an active percussion specialist, she teaches regularly at UQAM's preparatory school, FACE elementary school where she offers private lessons and coaching group sectionals. She also works with many high schools in Québec such as Villa Maria, Collège Beaubois and Collège Laval. Polly's professional performances includes those with Orchestre du Choeur Classique de la Prarie, Les Muses Chorale, Orchestre Philharmonia Mundi, and more. In 2024, she began her master's degree in percussion performance at the Schulich School of Music, continuing to refine her skills in ensemble and solo settings.
Jean-Félix Poirier
The Adventurer
Jean-Félix is a percussionist, drummer, and teacher born in Rimouski, Québec. In 2018, Jean-Félix joined Gabriel Dionne's class at the Conservatoire de Rimouski. The same year, he was a finalist at the Concours de musique du Canada. Currently, he is studying a master's degree at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal under Anne-Julie Caron and Corey Rae. A passionate orchestral player, Jean-Félix perfoemd with the Orchestre des Jeunes du Québec Maritime, l'Orchestre symphonique des Conservatoires, l'Orchestre de la Francophonie, Sinfonia de Montréal, The National Academy Orchestra, l'Orchestre du Chambre du Domaine Forget, Thunder Bay Symphony, and Orchestre Symphonique de l'Estuaire. He has taught drums and percussion at the École de musique du Bas-St-Laurent, l'École LUMI, Collège Sainte-Marcelline et le Camp Musical Saint-Alexandre. Jean-Félix has received several scholarships from le Conservatoire and was awarded the Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Youth in 2023.
Joseph Chang
The Strategist
Joseph is a multi-faceted artist whose work bridges percussion, video game music, and research through his performances, arrangements, and compositions.
Five years of creative exploration since the pandemic culminated in his first major "quest":
launching a percussion ensemble inspired by video game music.
On the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Joseph witnessed how video game music offered hope and connection to his community during a time of uncertainty.
The lockdown gave Joseph a chance to experiment with arranging and producing, blending his formal training in percusison with his passion for game soundtracks.
Between 2020-2023, this experimentation resulted in thirty multi-camera videos of his arrangements-ranging from single works for medium and large percussion ensembles to meldys for smaller groups based on individual games.
With the rise of AI in 2023, Joseph expanded his creative approach, producing short-form videos that integrated his arrangements seamlessly into game cutscenes while preserving the original voice acting.
This breadth of experience in arranging naturally led Joseph into composition.
From October 2024 to May 2025, this process shaped every aspect of his artistic life, culminating in his first large-scale work for the percussion ensemble, Elements of Adventure.
