PAS Celebrates Triumphant 2012 PASIC
The Percussive Arts Society brought the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) to Texas for a four-day celebration of everything percussion and drums. Over 6000 drummers and percussionists descended upon Austin, Texas to enjoy over 120 sessions, reconnect with fellow percussionists and make new friends in the percussion world. Austin also housed 113 exhibitors for the International Drum & Percussion Expo, the world’s premier event to see what is new within the drum and percussion industry.
“It was great to be back in Austin for PASIC 2012,” stated Jeff Hartsough, Director of Event Production & Marketing for PAS. “The city is a perfect fit for PASIC bringing in 6000 attendees which made it that much more fun and exciting for our members, exhibitors, artists, staff, and volunteers alike. I’d like to extend a BIG thank you to everyone who helped make PASIC 2012 the overall success that it was. I already look forward to 2013 when we will be back in our hometown of Indianapolis. Save the dates now and come be a part of the biggest percussion event on earth!”
Highlights from PASIC 2012 included many great competitions, concerts, clinics and an over-flowing Expo hall. Thursday included a day of competitions as PAS welcomed the return of the competitive Marching Percussion Festival format, with over 110 entries spanning high school and college ensembles and individual performers. Friday at PASIC consisted of many excellent sessions, including the U.S. Marine Band Percussion Section; a trip to a Brazilian Carnival with Austin’s own Academicos Da Opera; professional development sessions by Zoro and others; and excellent clinics and concerts with Stanton Moore, Rajna Swaminthan and Michael Burritt. A true highlight of Thursday was a standing-room crowd witnessing a clinic by Jhair Sala, Pedrito Martinez and Steve Gadd. Saturday continued the festivities as the Santa Clara Vanguard percussion section showcased the latest and greatest information for the marching world, Ari Hoenig and Mike Mangini each displayed drumset skills unrivaled by anyone, and multiple FUNdamentals sessions assisted young students, band directors and music teachers with the ins and outs of teaching percussion. It was all a fitting end to the great four days in any percussionist’s or drummer’s year.
The PASIC 2012 evening concerts were better than ever with a special Focus Day evening concert celebrating the 100th birthday of John Cage through performances by Percussion Group Cincinnati, red fish blue fish, Steven Schick and Benjamin Toth. Thursday evening saw steel pan artist Andy Narrel take over PASIC with his special steel band/big band project, which featured special guests Mark Walker, Luis Conte, Etienne Charles and Relator with the University of North Texas Steel Band, McCallum High School Steel Band and the University of Texas Jazz Band. The Joe Locke-Geoffrey Keezer Group displayed the mastery of the small jazz ensemble late into the night on Friday with special guest Marvin “Smitty” Smith on the drums. The Saturday evening concert was a fitting end to PASIC 2012 with attendees dancing in the aisles as Steve Gadd joined forces with the incomparable Pedrito Martinez Group with a tour-de-force through Cuban jazz.
PAS inducted four worthy individuals to the 2012 class of the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame Thursday night as John Bergamo, Hal Blaine, David Garibaldi and Gordon Stout all joined the impressive list of drummers and percussionists in the Hall. We thank these four gentlemen for all of their outstanding accomplishments and their continued work in the percussion world. PAS also awarded members, volunteers and chapters for their continued service to the Percussive Arts Society and the percussion world. Kathleen Kastner was given the Outstanding PAS Service Award, while the Outstanding PAS Supporter Award went to Christopher Smith. Dave Black, Director of Percussion Acquisitions at Alfred Music Publishing, was honored with the PAS President’s Industry Award and The PAS Australia Chapter was recognized with the Outstanding PAS Chapter Award. The Percussive Art Society Lifetime Achievement Award in Education was given to Marty Hurly and Alan Shin for their contributions in the field of percussion education.
Larry Jacobson, who began his tenure as Executive Director of the Percussive Arts Society and Rhythm! Discovery Center during the Convention, stated about PASIC: “Words do not begin to express the excitement and energy that I experienced firsthand with everyone at PASIC 2012. It was truly amazing to be reunited with my PAS family for a week of performance, service, education and awareness. As a community, PASIC always provides our members with great opportunities to meet and experience accomplished percussionists and drummers of all ages, who share a common love for percussion and music. For this reason, I would like to once again congratulate our 2012 Hall of Fame inductees: John Bergamo, Hal Blaine, David Garibaldi and Gordon Stout. The quality of the showmanship and talent that was exhibited by all the performers, educators and clinicians in Austin was second to none, and I got to re-discover first hand why Percussion Arts Society/Rhythm! Discovery Center is still the premier leader for percussion performance and education.”
PASIC 2013 will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana from November 13 through November 16 at the Indiana Convention Center. Artist applications for PASIC 2013 are being accepting online at www.pas.org through December 15, 2012, and exhibitor packets will be available in February 2013.
About Percussive Arts Society
The Percussive Arts Society was established in 1961 as a non-profit music service organization. Its mission is to promote percussion education, research, performance and appreciation throughout the world. PAS is the world’s largest percussion organization with more than 7,500 members representing over 50 countries and serves as the central source for information and networking for drummers and percussionists of all ages. The Percussive Arts Society international headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
For more information about the Percussive Arts Society, visit its website at www.pas.org or call 317.974.4488.
