Founding member of Wontanara and lead drummer
Pam Fleenor-Benton
Pam Fleenor-Benton has been dedicated to the art of hand drumming for over 25 years. She performed with Universal Drum Appeal (UDA) at the Kansas City Reggae Festival and opened for performers such as David Byrne and Ziggy Marley. Her love of hand drums led her to teach herself how to build a variety of different drum types which was pursuit for over 20 years. After leaving UDA, she founded Divine Rhythm and performed at a variety of festivals across the Mid-Missouri area. She currently teaches djembe and repairs hand drums for others. Pam routinely performs for African Dance classes taught by Julie Stavely-O’Carroll in Columbia.
Associate Professor of Percussion, University of Missouri
Megan Arns
Dr. Megan Arns is a percussionist, ethnomusicologist, and educator with a diverse set of skills and a driven passion for her craft. She is a member of the music faculty at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO as the Assistant Professor of Percussion. Megan’s recent highlights include collaborative performances in Spain, France, India, Jordan, Costa Rica, Ghana, and the United States at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Millennium Park, Smithsonian Institution, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Megan received her D.M.A. in Percussion Performance & Literature and M.A. in Ethnomusicology at the Eastman School of Music