The World Percussion Group Summer Academy

The WPG Academy is a high-level online summer academy for percussionists, bringing together some of the world’s most respected performers and educators in a focused, international programme.

Founded by the World Percussion Group, the Academy was created to give serious young artists access to coaching at the very highest professional level, regardless of geography.

World-Class Coaches

Each summer, WPG Academy assembles a faculty of best-of-the-best coaches whose careers span international solo work, principal orchestral positions, major conservatoires, and landmark recordings.

• Michael Burritt
• Dame Evelyn Glennie
• Kai Strobel
• Colin Currie
• Eriko Daimo
• Pius Cheung
• Pedro Carneiro
• Emmanuel Séjourné
• Garrett Mendelow
• Nancy Zeltsman
• Marta Klimasara
• Svet Stoyanov
• Tim Palmer
• Casey Cangelosi
• Ivana Bilić
• Theo Milkov
• and many many more....

A Focused Online Summer Programme

• removes financial and geographic barriers
• enables participation worldwide
• allows sustained contact with elite coaches
• encourages a global peer network

What the Academy Offers

• individual and small-group coaching
• specialist masterclasses
• ensemble coaching
• recording and performance preparation
• career guidance and professional pathways
• livestream concerts and talks

Our Ethos

The WPG Academy is not a competition - it is a professional learning environment built on integrity, curiosity, and long-term artist development.

Beyond the Summer

Participation connects artists to the wider World Percussion Group network - a global community of alumni, coaches, and collaborators that extends far beyond the programme itself.

Tim Palmer – BMus(Hons), AdvPgDip, HonRBC

(WPG Artistic Director, Maraca2 Percussion Duo)

Tim Palmer is an internationally acclaimed percussionist, educator, and ensemble director, best known for his work with the award-winning percussion duo, Maraca2. In the 2018/19 season, Maraca2 appeared as featured soloists with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel in a concerto collaboration with composer Joseph Pereira. The work was later reprised with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pascal Rophé.

Tim Palmer has performed internationally, with highlights including featured evening concert appearances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) and the Taiwan International Percussion Convention (TIPC). His orchestral work includes performances with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, with appearances at the Barbican, BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, and Snape Maltings.

In 2016, Tim was appointed a percussion adjudicator for the BBC Young Musician of the Year and previously served as President of the Percussive Arts Society UK Chapter.

He trained at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, graduating with a First Class BMus(Hons) and an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction. In recognition of his professional achievements, he was awarded an Honorary Membership of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (HonRBC) in 2007.