Mike Combs is Associate Principal Timpanist of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and, until his recent retirement, was Professor of Percussion at the University of Tennessee. He is the founding President of the Joy of Music School and has served as a Director on the Boards of several non-profit organizations. He is a member of the Leadership Knoxville class of 1998 and is recipient of the Tennessee Arts Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s Resolution of Commendation, the Tennessee Music Education Association Lifetime Achievement award, the Percussive Arts Society’s national Lifetime Achievement Award, and Phi Eta Sigma award for excellence in teaching.