PAS Percussion Ensemble Competition & Festival
at the University of Missouri
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Hosted by Megan Arns
University of Missouri
208 Sinquefield Music Center
Columbia, MO 65211
PAS Group Member
$200
Non-PAS Group Member
$250
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 until January 15.
Judges
Gwendolyn Dease
Gwendolyn Dease is professor of percussion at the Michigan State University College of Music. She is passionate about educating the next generation of young musicians and regularly gives master classes at universities throughout the US and abroad. She is currently on the faculty at the Brevard Music Center and has served on the faculty for the Filarmonica Joven de Colombia and the Interlochen Arts Camp.
Dease maintains a career as an active solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. She has performed solo and chamber recitals around the world. She is passionate about new music and has been involved in commissioning over 30 new works for solo and chamber percussion. She is currently principal percussionist with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra and has also performed with the Detroit Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Grand Rapids Symphony among others.
Dease is a recipient of the Withrow Teaching Award, the Teacher Scholar Award and the Diversity Award from Michigan State University. She was the winner of the Keiko Abe Prize at the second World Marimba competition and the top prize winner at the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts’ ARTS competition. She was awarded the performer’s certificate from the Eastman School of Music and has also been the recipient of the Outstanding Young Musician award from the Peabody Conservatory and the Yale Alumni Award.
Dease’s discography includes five solo albums: “Marimba Suites” and “Boomslang: New Works for Marimba” released on the Blue Griffin label; “Idle Fancies” and “Touch and Go” released on the Bridge Records and “Beguiled” released on the Origin Classical Label. Her collaborative projects include “Textures” (Percussion Chamber Music by Paul Lansky) released on the Bridge Records and “In the Shadow of No Towers” (The Phillip Glass Double Timpani Concerto) released on the Naxos Label.
Bill Shaltis
Bill Shaltis is the associate professor of percussion at the University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music and principal timpanist of the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra and Boise Baroque Orchestra, and regularly performs with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Formerly, Shaltis was the principal timpanist for the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra, principal percussion of the Evansville Philharmonic and Owensboro Symphony, and on faculty at Missouri Southern State University and the University of Evansville. He is a sought-after clinician and performer throughout North America, Europe and China and has performed and presented at several PASICs, the NAfME and Midwest Conferences, and at state conferences, Day of Percussion events and universities throughout the country.
Shaltis created the video podcast series Good Beats (tips for music educators) and The Solo Timpanist. His debut album, “Essence/Descent,” features premiere recordings of 21st century solo and chamber timpani repertoire and is available on major streaming platforms. Shaltis is also a co-founder of the annual Two Rivers Timpani Summit.
Shaltis is a proud performing artist/clinician for Grover Pro Percussion, JGpercussion, Remo, Yamaha, and Zildjian.
Additional Information
Questions? Please email membership@pas.org
