PAS Hall of Fame Class of 2024

We are thrilled to reveal the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Terri Lyne Carrington, Neil Grover, Thom Hannum, Beverley Johnston, and Jim Petercsak. These nominees will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame at PASIC 2024 in November. 

“I’m very excited that PAS will induct these five influential members of the percussion community into the PAS Hall of Fame this year,” said Percussive Arts Society Executive Director Joshua Simonds. “Their passion and dedication for advancing percussion performance and education make each of them an impressive addition to the Hall of Fame, where they will join nearly 150 other percussion luminaries.”

Meet the PAS Hall of Fame Class of 2024:

• Terri Lyne Carrington – Carrington is an NEA Jazz Master, Doris Duke Artist, and four-time Grammy Award-winning drummer, composer, producer, author, and educator. She serves as Founder and Artistic Director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, as well Artistic Director for both Next Jazz Legacy program and the Carr Center in Detroit. She has performed on more than 100 recordings over a 40-year career and has toured and recorded with luminaries such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, and Esperanza Spalding.

• Neil Grover – Grover is a percussionist, educator, instrument designer, and entrepreneur with a career that spans four decades. He performed for more than 40 years with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops, recorded percussion tracks for Phillip Glass’ “Mishima” soundtrack, contributed to John William’s award-winning score for “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” and played with iconic rock band Aerosmith. He is Founder and former President of Grover Pro Percussion, which was featured on the Discovery Channel series “How It’s Made.” He served on the PAS Board of Directors, Board of Advisors, and as Chair of the Symphonic Committee. 

• Thom Hannum – Hannum is a percussion arranger, instructor, and clinician who taught at the University of Massachusetts for 40 years. He is now Associate Director Emeritus of the Minuteman Marching Band and Senior Advisor for the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps. Hannum is known for his work with the DCI World Champion Cadets and Star of Indiana, the Carolina Crown, the Crossmen, and is a member of the design team for the Tony and Emmy Award-winning show Blast! He is a member of the DCI Hall of Fame and the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, among other recognitions. 

• Beverley Johnston – Johnston is one of Canada’s leading percussionists and has commissioned and performed many works by leading Canadian composers. She was awarded the distinction of Canadian Music Centre Ambassador and was also nominated for the 2023 Oskar Morawetz Award for Excellence in Music Performance. She tours and performs frequently as a soloist and chamber musician, performs at internationally renowned marimba and percussion festivals, and has recorded seven solo albums. Johnston teaches at the University of Toronto and is a Marimba One and Paiste Artist. 

• Jim Petercsak – Petercsak began his 50-plus year career as a professional percussionist in New York and northern New Jersey. He joined the Crane School of Music of State University of New York Potsdam in 1968 and headed the percussion department for 55 years, directed the award-winning Crane Percussion Ensemble, and was the longest-tenured Distinguished Teaching Professor in the SUNY system in the Arts. Petercsak served as PAS president from 1977 to 1982 and was instrumental in conceiving the Percussive Arts Society International Conference (PASIC), begun in 1976, serving as Executive Director for eight years. In 2003, PAS honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award in Education. Petercsak is internationally recognized as a performer, educator, clinician, and music industry visionary. As a clinician, he has performed throughout the world. As a performer, he is adept in both classical and jazz, and has performed with Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, the American Symphony, the New Jersey State Opera, the New York City Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet and many more. As a jazz drummer-percussionist, he has performed during five decades with many of the great entertainers of each era, from Judy Garland and Liza Minelli to Ray Charles, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mathis to Sarah Vaughn and everyone in between.

Welcome to the PAS Hall of Fame Class of 2024!