President

Dr. Kenneth Broadway serves as Associate Professor (Percussion Studies) at the University of Florida, where he teaches Applied Percussion and directs the Percussion Ensemble and Steel Drum Bands. Prior to this appointment he served in similar capacities at the University of South Dakota and Augusta State University. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Spoleto Festival, and with symphonies in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, South Carolina, and South Dakota. As a performer, composer, and presenter, he has appeared at various conferences and symposiums throughout North America, Europe and Australia. Among these are the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Symposium of the International Musicological Society, the College Music Society International Convention, the Hawaii International Conference on the Arts and Humanities, the World Saxophone Congress, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors National Conference, and the North American Saxophone Alliance National Conference. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (1998, 2003) and numerous “Day of Percussion” state meetings. His compact disc with the LYNX Duo (Music for Saxophone and Percussion) is available on the Mark Custom Recording label. Dr. Broadway is active in the Percussive Arts Society, the College Music Society, NACWPI, and MENC. He is a Performing Artist for the Yamaha Corporation of America, and endorses Sabian Cymbals and Promark Mallets. Dr. Broadway received the BM, MM, and DMA degrees from the University of Georgia.

Vice-President

John W. Parks IV, Assistant Professor of Percussion at the Florida State University since the fall of 2003, earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He holds two Master’s degrees from Northwestern University, one each in Percussion Performance and Jazz Pedagogy, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Furman University. John has studied with Patricia Dash of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, John Beck of the Rochester Philharmonic, Michael Burritt, Paul Wertico, formerly of the Pat Metheny Group, and John Beckford. Parks is an artist/clinician for Pearl Corporation and Adams Musical Instruments, Avedis Zildjian Cymbals, Innovative Percussion, Grover Pro Percussion, and Remo.

Parks made his solo debut in Weill Recital Hall of New York's Carnegie Hall in Spring of 2007, and has performed with diverse performing organizations ranging from the Eastman Wind Ensemble on their 2000 tour of Japan and Taiwan and the Schlossfestspiele Orchestra of Heidelberg, Germany to the Kansas City, Alabama, Key West, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestras. Of his recent performances of the Schwantner Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra, critic Stephen Hicken of the Tallahassee Democrat wrote: “In addition to his extraordinary playing, he has a commanding stage presence that won over the audience as well as the orchestra. He deserved the raucous and prolonged ovation he received from the large audience.” Parks has appeared as a performer/clinician on National Public Radio, the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, NACWPI, and state MENC conventions, in addition to PAS Days of Percussion and guest artist residencies across the United States. Parks is also an active scholar, and has published articles in Percussive Notes, the Zildjian Educator, the Pearl 2005 Total Percussion CD-ROM, and Innovative Percussion Online. Parks’ first compact disc, Dusk: Percussion Music from the Heartland, consisting of brand-new commissioned percussion ensemble and solo works, was released in August of 2004.

Secretary

Robert Petta has been the Principal Percussionist of The Orlando Philharmonic since its inception; he also performs frequently with The Florida Orchestra, The Naples Philharmonic, The Jacksonville Symphony and The Brevard Symphony. Mr. Petta was the Principal Percussionist of The Florida Symphony Orchestra for nineteen years where he performed as a soloist on two occasions. A native of Syracuse, New York, his early musical studies were with members of The Syracuse Symphony Percussion section. He earned a Bachelor of Music Degree at the Manhattan School of Music where he studied Percussion and Timpani with Morris Lang of The New York Philharmonic. While studying in New York, he was a Member of The Manhattan Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Paul Price and The Group for Contemporary Music under the direction of Charles Wuorinen and Harvey Solberger. In addition, he was a conducting student of Anton Coppola. Mr. Petta is also an avid performer of ancient fife and drum music. In addition to performing, he has published updated versions of the Timpani and Percussion parts for the operas of Puccini and several opera companies throughout the country are using them.

Treasurer

John Evans is in his 18th season with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra.  He received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Ohio State University and a Master of Music degree from Temple University, where he was a student of Alan Abel.

Evans has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Columbus Symphony, and has served as timpanist/ principal percussionist with the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus.  He has appeared as soloist with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, the Naples Philharmonic Baroque Ensemble, the Knightwind Ensemble of Milwaukee and the Ohio State University Symphony.  In 1986, he won the Drum Corps International individual mallet competition.

Evans is currently treasurer of the Florida chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, a position he has held since 1997. He is the founding organizer of the Percussion Summit series.

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