Before joining the Seattle Symphony as Principal Percussionist in the fall of 2009, Michael Werner was a percussionist with the Metropolitan Opera for 13 years, and Principal Percussionist for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for two years.

Mr. Werner is currently the Principal Percussionist at the Seattle Symphony, and was also acting Principal for the 2014-2015 season at the LA Philharmonic, including the 2015 Asia Tour. In the spring of 2016 he was invited to perform with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra as a Percussion Teacher and Guest Artist. In 2014, Michael was the featured soloist at The Seattle Symphony Orchestra where he performed F. Gruber’s “Rough Music Concerto”. Michael has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonic, Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, The Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Seattle Chamber Music Society, Canadian Brass and Empire Brass Ensembles, and at the Santa Barbara International Percussion Festival.

Mr. Werner has been a faculty member at The Mannes School of Music in New York since 2002. He has served as a Clinician and Instructor at the New World Symphony, the University of Toronto, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Percussive Arts Society, Oberlin Percussion Institute, Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, The Cleveland Institute of Music, and The New England Conservatory. He also serves as an Artist and Clinician for Pearl Percussion, Zildjian Symbols, and Freer Percussion.

Michael started his secondary studies at the Eastman School of Music, under John Beck. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Richard Wiener. Michael also studied with Tom Freer at Cleveland State University.

An alum of the Music Academy of the West (1990), Mr. Werner has been a faculty member since 2005.

Joseph Pereira (1974) enjoys a multi-faceted career as a timpanist/percussionist, composer, conductor, and teacher. His work in all areas has been widely hailed for his creativity and virtuosity, and has been profiled in feature articles in both The New York Times (2006) and The Los Angeles Times in 2012 and 2015. In 2015 Pereira was featured on the PBS series, “Craft in America”.

Pereira has been the Principal Timpanist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2008. As a versatile performer, Pereira is in demand as an orchestral timpanist, studio recording percussionist. He regularly appears as a solo percussionist in the orchestra’s “Green Umbrella” new music series and has also conducted his music and other world premieres on the orchestra’s chamber series. In Los Angeles, he also can be found in the recording studios and can be heard on many major motion pictures. Previously Pereira was a member of the New York Philharmonic from 1997 to 2008, as a timpanist and percussionist. His line of signature timpani mallets by JGPercussion are sold worldwide.

Pereira currently runs the percussion studio at USC Thornton School of Music, and is also on the faculty of the Music Academy, and the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo Japan. Pereira was previously on the faculty of The Juilliard School, from 2004-2012.

As a composer, Pereira’s music has been described as “restless yet lucidly textured” (The New York Times), “striking atmospherics of colour” (The Guardian), and “one sonic surprise after another” (The Los Angeles Times). His works have been commissioned and performed worldwide, most notably by the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel, the Singapore Symphony, the New York Philharmonic Chamber Series, the Miro Quartet, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, percussionist Colin Currie, Duo Harpverk, French Ensemble TM+, and the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet. In 2013 the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet recorded his piece Repousse’ (2009), which was nominated for three 2013 Grammy Awards. The following year LAPQ recorded Pereira’s Mallet Quartet (2013), and it was rated “Best of 2014 Classical Music” on iTunes. Pereira’s works can be heard on Sono Luminus, Yarlung Records, and New Focus Recordings. His works are published in the US by Bachovich Music and Black Dot Press in London.

Stewart Copeland has been a pioneering force in contemporary music for over four decades, seamlessly blending rock, classical, opera, and world music. A seven-time Grammy winner, he is best known as the founder of The Police, whose innovative sound defined a generation of rock in the 1980s.

Beyond rock, Copeland’s classical works include Tyrant’s Crush (Pittsburgh Symphony), Poltroons in Paradise (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic), and Gamelan D'Drum (Dallas Symphony). His operatic achievements feature adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado and The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Witches Seed, which premiered in Italy in 2022 and returned for three new productions in 2024.

In 2025, Copeland launches Wild Concerto in collaboration with Martyn Stewart and Platoon (Apple Inc.), premiering on Earth Day at King’s Place, London. He will also debut a percussion commission with The Juilliard School in New York and at the Aspen Festival.

A renowned composer for film and television, his scores include Rumble Fish (Golden Globe-nominated), Wall Street, Four Days in September (Oscar-nominated), and contributions to The Equalizer, Babylon 5, Desperate Housewives, and the video game Spyro the Dragon.

Copeland has presented acclaimed BBC documentaries and the podcast My Dad The Spy. His accolades include induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a knighthood from France’s Order of Arts and Letters, and the 2024 Meadows Award for Artistry of International Renown.

ARNOR CHU 24, born in Honolulu, Hawaii, has completed his master's degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Daniel Druckman. He won 1st Prize at the 2024 Great Plains International Marimba Competition and the 2019 Percussive Arts Society International Composition Contest. He performed in by Boulez's Sur Incises with the New York Philharmonic.

JEREMY DAVIS 24, born in San Dimas, California, has recently completed his master's degree in Percussion Performance at Rice University Shepherd School of Music, studying with Matthew Strauss. He received the 2018 From the Top Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award and was a soloist in Viet Cuong's "Re(new)al" with Pacific Symphony under Carl St. Clair.

CASH LANGI 23, born in Upland, California, studies with Matthew Howard of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He serves as Principal Percussion with the Civic Orchestra of Los Angeles under Anthony Parnther, and has played in Puccini's Turandot with Los Angeles Opera under James Conlon. Cash serves as Percussion Director at Diamond Bar High School.

BRANDON LIM ('24) 27, born in Houston, Texas, has completed his graduate certificate at USC Thornton School of Music, studying with James Babor and Joseph Pereira. He won the 2015 Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition and has served as Principal Percussion with the Boise Philharmonic and as a soloist with USC Thornton Winds.

SEHEE PARK 29, born in Seoul, Korea, recently completed her degree, studying with Cynthia Yeh, Eric Millstein, and Jacob Nissly. She is a guest player with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and New World Symphony Orchestra, and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She participated in the Pacific Music Festival in 2023 and 2024.