畢業於國立臺灣藝術專科學校（現國立臺灣藝術大學）音樂科，隨後至奧地利國立維也納音樂院深造，師事華特．懷格（Walter Veigl）教授及維也納愛樂前打擊樂首席理查．霍賀萊納（Richard Hochrainer）教授。1982年獲打擊樂演奏家文憑，為華人世界獲得該項文憑之第一人。2005年獲得國立臺灣大學管理學院高階公共管理碩士學位；2017年獲國立臺北藝術大學頒授名譽博士學位。

回國後擔任臺灣省立交響樂團打擊樂首席，積極活躍於音樂舞臺。1986年1月成立朱宗慶打擊樂團，是臺灣第一支專業打擊樂團，並數度赴歐、美、亞、澳等多國演出。1989年成立財團法人擊樂文教基金會，專司樂團行政事務。1991年創辦朱宗慶打擊樂教學系統，自基礎教育來推廣打擊樂。1993年創辦「TIPC臺灣國際打擊樂節」，至今共舉辦11屆，是引領國際擊樂發展之重要平台。1998年創辦《蓺類》雜誌，1999年起每年舉辦「TIPSC台北國際打擊樂夏令營」，提供打擊樂年輕學子多元豐富的學習管道。2016年成立「JPG擊樂實驗室」創新育成計畫，支持陪伴新銳擊樂家跨界創新，期為打擊樂開創不同的視野和發展。

曾任國立臺北藝術大學校長、音樂系教授兼主任暨研究所所長、藝術行政與管理研究所教授兼所長、2009高雄世界運動會開閉幕式總導演，以及國立中正文化中心主任暨改制行政法人首任藝術總監與第四屆董事長、國家交響樂團團長；2017年1月至2022年4月擔任國家表演藝術中心董事長。

獲獎無數，曾獲頒「金鼎獎」、「金曲獎」、「國家文藝獎」、「總統府二等景星勳章」，並由國際打擊樂藝術協會（Percussive Arts Society, PAS）頒授「傑出貢獻獎」、「終身教育成就獎」。2016年以其對擊樂藝術的貢獻與成就獲選PAS名人堂，是華人世界獲此殊榮之第一人；2020年以其在打擊樂、藝術教育、劇場管理等領域之卓越貢獻獲頒「行政院文化獎」。

現任朱宗慶打擊樂團藝術總監、國立臺北藝術大學講座教授、國立臺灣藝術大學榮譽教授。

The well-known percussionist, who has played a significant role in enhancing the wide interest in percussion music in Taiwan over the last three decades, owes much of the popularity of percussion music in Taiwan to Ju for his pioneering efforts in music education.

Upon graduating from the National Taiwan Academy of the Arts (now known as National Taiwan University of the Arts), he continued his percussion studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna with Walter Veigl and Richard Hochrainer, the former principal percussionist of the Wiener Philharmoniker. He was the first Chinese to receive the diploma of Music Performer in percussion in 1982. In 2005, Ju received his Executive Master of Business Administration degree from National Taiwan University.

Upon returning to Taiwan, he served as the principal percussionist of the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. He founded Taiwan’s first percussion ensemble, the Ju Percussion Group (JPG), in 1986. Three years later, the Ju Percussion Group Foundation was formed to manage JPG’s administrative affairs. In 1991, he established the Ju Percussion Music School, the first domestically developed percussion education system to promote the percussive arts in Taiwan.

In 1993, he initiated the Taiwan International Percussion Convention (TIPC), which has been held 11 times to date, serving as an important platform for leading international percussion development. In 1998, he founded “Percussion" magazine, and since 1999, he has annually organized the Taipei International Percussion Summer Camp (TIPSC), offering young percussion students a variety of learning opportunities. In 2016, he established the “Ju Percussion Group Laboratory" innovation and incubation project to support emerging percussionists in cross-disciplinary innovation, aiming to create a new vision and development for percussion music.

He has served as the Director of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, the General and Artistic Director and the Chairman of the Board of the National Theatre and National Concert Hall (NTCH), the Principal of Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA), and the General Director of the Opening/Closing Ceremony for the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. From January 2017 to April 2022, he served as the Chairman of the National Performing Arts Center.

For his artistic excellence, he has received numerous honors including the National Award for Arts, the Presidential Order of Brilliant Star with Violet Grand Cordon, and National Cultural Awards. The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) has bestowed upon him the Outstanding Contribution Award and the Lifetime Achievement in Education Award. In 2016, for his contributions and achievements in the art of percussion, he was inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame, becoming the first person from the Chinese-speaking world to receive this honor. In 2020, he was awarded the 39th National Cultural Award for his exceptional contributions in the fields of percussion music, art education, and theater management.

At present, he is the Artistic Director of the Ju Percussion Group, Chair Professor at Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA), and Emeritus Professor at the National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA).