Jim Casella is a composer and music publisher based in Portland, Oregon. He is best known for the music he’s created for percussion ensembles and world-champion drum corps such as the Vanguard (Santa Clara, CA) and Cavaliers (Rosemont, IL). His musical emphasis on color, melodic drum writing, and a tightly woven blending of the full ensemble has contributed to DCI championships, high percussion awards, and has influenced new generations of modern, holistic percussion arrangers.

Casella received his college education at San Jose State University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music primarily focusing on orchestral percussion performance with teachers Anthony Cirone and Jack Van Geem, respectively. With his classical background rounded out by a strong foundations in drumset and rudimental percussion, he has become an influential voice in the flourishing genre of contemporary percussion composition.

Tapspace, the company Casella co-founded with Murray Gusseck, is one of the leading publishers of percussion music in the world. Jim also pioneered and produced the versatile software sample library, Virtual Drumline – an industry-favorite tool used for over two decades by arrangers for marching band, drum corps, and indoor percussion, as well as film, media, and concert composers.

Casella’s signature series of drumsticks and keyboard mallets are manufactured by Innovative Percussion and are popular worldwide. He has served on the board of advisors for the Percussive Arts Society (PAS), the world’s largest percussion organization, and is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). Jim Casella endorses Pearl/Adams instruments, Innovative Percussion sticks & mallets, Zildjian cymbals, and Remo drumheads.

In addition to his work in the percussion industry, Jim has composed music for film and advertising.

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