North Texas Percussion Festival
hosted by Forney ISD
presented by PAS
Friday & Saturday
February 27-28, 2026
Hosted by Mario Luna
Forney High School
1800 College Ave
Forney, TX 75126
PAS Group Member
$250
Non-PAS Group Member
$400
Learn more about becoming a PAS Group Member here.
Registration will open at Noon Eastern on Monday, December 8th, and competition spots are expected to fill quickly. Space at each event will be limited, so directors should plan to reserve their spot as soon as registration opens in December, and have their group membership processed ahead of time (if seeking the member discount). All events are first-come, first-served. Only one registration per school/organization will be accepted up until one month prior to the chosen event.
High School Judges
Michael Burritt
Having performed on four continents and more than forty states, Michael Burritt is one of his generation’s most accomplished percussionists. He is in frequent demand performing concert tours and master classes throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Canada. Mr. Burritt has three solo as well as numerous chamber recordings including the Joseph Schwantner Percussion Concerto on the Albany label and recently released a new recording of solo and chamber works by Alejandro Viñao in collaboration with Third Coast Percussion. Burritt has also featured with the world renown percussion group Nexus on their album titled Home, featuring his work Home Trilogy.
Active as a composer, his works for solo marimba and chamber percussion have become standard repertoire. Commissions include Nexus, The Paris Percussion Group, Third Coast Percussion, Escape X, The World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart Germany and The Paris International Marimba Competition and the Zildjian Company to mention a few. His music has been recorded by many percussion artists and is considered standard repertoire in the canon.
Mr. Burritt currently holds the Paul J Burgett Distinguished Professorship and head of the Percussion Department at the Eastman School of Music where he is only the third person in the history of the school to hold this position. He was President of Percussive Arts Society from 2021-22.
Brian Zator
Dr. Brian Zator is the Director of Percussion at East Texas A&M University and has been awarded the distinction of Regents Professor, the highest honor given to faculty in the A&M-System. The East Texas A&M percussion ensembles are 2-time winners of the prestigious PAS International Percussion Ensemble Competition, presented a concert at PASIC 2006 featuring works of Minoru Miki, performed multiple TMEA Showcase Concerts, and have released three CD’s since 2007. Dr. Zator holds degrees from Baylor University, the University of Michigan, the University of North Texas, and is a former student of Keiko Abe. He has performed at conventions and festivals across the United States, at Carnegie Hall, and in Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia. He has two recordings on Equilibrium Records: “Zamiki: Music for Solo Marimba” and a chamber-works CD entitled, “Zoomorphs”. Dr. Zator was named a 2021 Co-Winner for The American Prize in Instrumental Performance and is an active festival and concert judge. Active within PAS, he is a Past-President, founder of the PAS Leadership Academy, has written articles and reviews for Percussive Notes, and has adjudicated multiple PAS Competitions. He is a performing artist and clinician for Innovative Percussion, Sabian, Evans, Black Swamp, and Ensemble Block.
Middle School Judge
Oliver Molina
Dr. Oliver Molina is an Associate Professor of Music where he serves as the Director of Percussion Studies at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. As an active percussion performer, educator, arranger, adjudicator, and clinician, Dr. Molina has presented and performed at various state Day of Percussion events, PASIC, NCPP, Midwest and other music conferences and festivals. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Iowa under Dr. Dan Moore. Additionally, he is a founding member of the Omojo Percussion Duo and the Ninkasi Percussion Group. Dr. Molina currently serves as Chair for PAS Education Committee and as Treasurer of the Louisiana PAS Chapter. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist and an education endorser of Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drum Heads, Sabian Cymbals, and Black Swamp Percussion. His professional affiliations include the Percussive Arts Society, National Association for Music Education, National Society for Steel Band Educators, and the College Music Society.
Additional Information
Questions? Please email Mandy Smith at msmith@pas.org.
