DRUMMER CAFE

The Percussive Arts Society has announced the names of those selected to be inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame, the society’s highest honor given to individuals whose careers have had a significant impact on percussion performance, education and research. Drummer, educator, clinician and manufacturer Roy Burns and famed solo percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie, will be honored this November at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Austin, Texas.

Roy Burns’ musical career has touched almost every facet of the music industry. His playing landed him gigs with Woody Herman, the Benny Goodman Orchestra and Lionel Hampton. His days of studio work included the Merv Griffin Show, the Tonight Show and a number of television quiz shows, radio and TV commercials, and recordings. The success he experienced as an author of instructional drum books led to his career as a prominent clinician, and he pioneered the role of drummer as clinician as it is known today. As an artist for Rogers Drum Company, Burns presented clinics in Europe, Australia, Canada, Scandinavia and New Zealand from 1968 through 1980. He started the Aquarian Accessories Corporation in 1980, where he currently devotes most of his time. Burns is a past board member of the Percussive Arts Society and has performed at PASIC.

Dame Evelyn Glennie is often regarded as the first percussionist to successfully create and sustain a full-time solo career. The New York Times praised “…her musicianship [as] extraordinary. One has to pause in sheer wonder at what she has accomplished.” An active performer, Glennie gives more than a hundred performances annually around the world, appearing with the most respected ensembles and orchestras. She has significantly increased the solo percussionist’s repertoire, having commissioned 150 new works from many prominent composers. She received a Grammy® award in 1988 and was recently honored as a Dame Commander of the British Empire for her continued service to music. Glennie first performed at PASIC in 1985 and has made five additional appearances, the last in 1999.

PASIC, the world’s premier drum and percussion event, will take place November 5-8, 2008 in Austin, Texas at the Austin Convention Center and Austin Hilton. Both Burns and Glennie are expected to be present for induction into the PAS Hall of Fame on Friday, November 7. More information can be found at www.pasic.org.

A complete list of previous PAS Hall of Fame inductees may be found online at www.pas.org/About/HOFMain.cfm.