Otice Sircy, 84, of Arlington, Va. passed away Dec. 20, 2024 due to complications of pneumonia. Services will be at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Lawton, Okla. at a later date. Otice was born Sept. 15, 1940 in Wichita Falls, Tex. to parents Otice and Virginia (LaLonde) Sircy. He grew up in nearby Petrolia, Tex. before…
by Lauren Vogel Weiss Dr. Sherman Hong, Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, died on January 27, 2025 at age 83. “I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Sherman Hong,” stated Dr. John Wooton, who replaced Hong as the Professor of Percussion at USM in 1992. Hong…
by Lauren Vogel Weiss October 5, 1962 – January 11, 2025 Steven W. Beck, Executive Director for the Percussive Arts Society from 1988 through 1996, died in his sleep on Jan. 11, 2025 at the age of 62. He oversaw PAS’s move from Urbana, Illinois to Lawton, Oklahoma in 1991 and was instrumental in opening…
Tabla master Zakir Hussain died on December 15, 2024 from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in San Francisco at the age of 73. The following information was sent out by his family. The son of legendary tabla master Ustad Allarakha (Ravi Shankar’s longtime accompanist), Zakir Hussain was widely regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation….
Jazz drummer and educator Jack Mouse died on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 at age 79. Born and raised in Emporia, Kansas, he began playing drums at age four, and longtime friend Karen Sommers told KVOE News that he was a “true child prodigy.” By his late teens he was performing with such musical greats as…
PAS Hall of Fame member and longtime Chicago Symphony Orchestra percussionist Al Payson died on June 23, 2024. Albert Eugene Pisoni was born January 15, 1934 in Springfield, Illinois. The family changed their name to Payson when Al was in grade school. When Al was five years old, he started taking private drum lessons from the…
Stuart Saunders Smith died on June 3, 2024. He composed more than 300 works, with instrumentation that included percussion and non-percussion instruments, and ensembles of various sizes from small to large. According to Robert McCormick, “The music of Stuart Saunders Smith is unique, eclectic, often esoteric and always full of surprises. Perhaps even more important…
By Rick Mattingly Ed Mann, best known for being a percussionist with Frank Zappa from 1977 to 1988, died on June 1, 2024. Born January 14, 1954 in Great Barrington, Mass., Mann began playing piano at age 3 and acquired a drumset at age 11. During his teenage years he played in a variety of…
By Russell Hartenberger Over the past four decades, Beverley Johnston has been at the forefront of the artistic development of percussion repertoire and is unparalleled in her contribution to Canadian classical music. She is singularly responsible for commissioning, performing, and/or recording compositions from over sixty Canadian composers. Through her teaching, she has inspired female percussionists…
By Rick Mattingly “Jim Petercsak is a legend as an educator, author, past-president of PAS, conductor, clinician, composer, award winner, and virtuoso player,” says Nexus member Gary Kvistad. “He has played with the best of the best and his students — who must number in the thousands! — hold major positions in orchestras, education, and…
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