Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Hosts Annual Percussion Ensemble Festival Jan. 31
January 15, 2026
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ School of Performing Arts will host the Idaho Day of Percussion on Saturday, January 31, in Goranson Hall inside the Fine Arts Building at Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
This year’s guest clinicians include internationally recognized percussionists Chris Hanning (drum set) and John Wooton (rudimental percussion), with Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ’s Director of Percussion Studies, Dr. Thom Hasenpflug, serving as host. Throughout the day, attendees can enjoy high school percussion performances, hands-on clinics, and educational workshops led by the guest artists and Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ faculty.
The festival will also feature exhibition performances by the region’s premier winter indoor ensembles, Northstar and RIFT, offering audiences a preview of their 2026 competitive programs.
“I always look forward to January of each new year, when we bring in regional school programs at the top of the semester for a festival-workshop day focusing on percussion activities,” said Dr. Hasenpflug. “We always mix it up a little bit – this year we have a drum set artist, and we are again continuing with a marching/corps artist as well, since we have so many connections to rudimental drumming with the local winter drum lines in residence. It’s always an enjoyable and educational day, and I expect our 2026 offering to be that as well.”
The 2026 festival is sponsored by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Department of Music, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Bands, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Cultural Events Council, Northstar, RIFT, and leading percussion manufacturers, including Pearl Drums, Remo, Salyers Percussion, Sabian, Yamaha, Row-Loff, Tapspace, and Zildjian–Vic Firth.
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