Bonnie Whiting performs, improvises, and creates new music for percussion. Exploring intersections of storytelling and experimental music, her work integrates text, movement, and technology. Her solo albums of music for speaking percussionist can be heard on the Mode Records (2017), New Focus (2020) and Neuma (2026) labels, and her original music with James Falzone (clarinets) and Lisa Cay Miller (prepared piano) can be heard on Six Artifacts (Allos Documents, 2024). Recent projects include an extractable cycle composed by Eliza Brown and 10 incarcerated musicians/writers, an expansive new theatrical collaboration with Wang Lu, the world premiere of Jonathan Bingham’s percussion concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra, and performances on the original Harry Partch instrumentarium.  She is the on-stage percussionist in the multimedia opera The Ritual of Breath Is the Rite to Resist, featuring productions at Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City, The Hopkins Center at Dartmouth, and at Stanford Live. Her collaboration with multimedia artist Afroditi Psarra generated < null_abc> (Zero Moon records). Their project with designer Audrey Desjardins transcoding data from IoT devices as performance received a Mellon Creative Fellowship, lives as an interactive net art installation, and was explored in workshop at the 2020 Transmediale Festival. She is percussionist and Co-Artistic Director of Seattle Modern Orchestra, and Chair of Percussion Studies/Donald E. Petersen Endowed Associate Professor of Music at the University of Washington in Seattle. Learn more here.

Clara Warnaar is a percussionist, drummer, composer, and educator. A member of the long-running International Contemporary Ensemble, Clara finds herself in the heart of new music-making, playing and producing. Ms. Warnaar has also appeared as a guest artist with renowned groups such as Yarn/Wire, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, and Ensemble Signal. Her deep interest in new music is evident in her active premiering of new works by emerging and interdisciplinary artists, as well as her collaborations with acclaimed composers such as Ted Hearne, Missy Mazzoli, Courtney Bryan, Felipe Lara, Ellen Reid, Ash Fure and Steve Reich. Her versatility extends beyond the concert hall—Clara has appeared on Broadway in Into the Woods and can be heard on film soundtracks including White Noise, The Fate of the Furious, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Originally from Los Angeles, Warnaar is based in New York City and Ithaca, where she is on faculty at Ithaca College for the 2025-2026 academic year. Clara completed her musical studies at the Manhattan School of Music, the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and Interlochen Arts Academy, where she’s now on faculty for the summer’s Percussion Intensive

Michael Compitello is a percussionist and collaborator whose work explores how people connect, create, and learn through music. As a performer, Compitello is known for sustained and dynamic collaborations with composers that foreground the expressive and poetic potential of percussion instruments. With cellist Hannah Collins as the “remarkably inventive and resourceful” (Gramophone) New Morse Code, Michael has created a singular and personal repertoire through collaboration with some of America’s most esteemed young composers.
Michael also performs with The Percussion Collective. In addition to performing, Compitello’s research focuses on multidisciplinary approaches to musical learning, practice design, collaboration, and peak performance. His first book, Unsnared Drum Lab will be released in 2026, and he shares his ideas through his newsletters (Learn with Mike and Learning Percussion) as well as the Mikedrop Podcast. Michael is Associate Professor of Percussion at Arizona State University, and holds degrees from The Yale School of Music and the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. For more information, learn more here.

Brian Stockard is a percussion educator, administrator, and arts leader with deep roots in drum corps and music education. He is the Senior Education Relations Manager for Avedis Zildjian Company, where he oversees global educational initiatives for Vic Firth and Zildjian, working closely with educators, artists, and institutions to develop impactful programs and experiences for students at all levels. Brian’s background includes extensive experience teaching and mentoring percussion students across middle school, high school, collegiate, and drum corps settings. His work centers on building sustainable educational programs, supporting educators and artists, and creating meaningful pathways for students to grow through high-quality instruction and mentorship.

Keith A. Aleo has a multifaceted
career as a performer, educator and administrator. He is the Director of
Percussion at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, encompassing the Arts Camp, Percussion Institute, Adult Band Camp and the Interlochen Arts Academy. He is also a consultant for the Zildjian and Vic Firth companies.

His playing credits include the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. He was a member of the percussion section of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra from 1989-2003, and a member of the percussion faculty at the University of Miami from 1994-2003.

His other teaching credits include The
Boston Conservatory, The University of Rhode Island and the University of
Connecticut. 

His publications include Complimentary Percussion, Music for Multiple Metals and Advanced Etudes for Snare Drum.  He was also a contributing editor for the Encyclopedia of Percussion Instruments, published by Garland Publishing.

He was a member of the Percussive Arts Society's Board of Directors and served on the Board of Overseer's at the New England Conservatory from 2004 – 2010.   His awards include Chapter President of the Year for his work as president of the Florida Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society.

Mr. Aleo has given master classes and
workshops on percussion instruments at numerous universities and conventions. Highlights have included the Percussive Arts Society State and International Conventions, PAS Journees de la Percussion in Paris France, the Paris Conservatory, the PAS Italian Percussion Festival in Fermo Italy, Tainan National University of the Arts and multiple Music Educator Conferences.