Who We Are
Ensemble Leadership
Rene Ormae-Jarmer || Caption Head & Founder
René Ormae-Jarmer has a long history of music performance and instruction in the Portland metro area. René is the co-founder, keyboardist, and principal songwriter of the original NW Indie Piano-Pop band Here Comes Everybody, and has been actively performing in clubs, colleges, festivals, opened for local, regional and national acts, and has performed on TV and Radio since 1985. René has toured, recorded countless albums with HCE, been a guest on many other recordings in the NW Music Scene, and has performed with many bands.
With a music degree in percussion performance from Lewis & Clark College (1992), she is an established and sought after private drum & piano instructor in Portland. She is a Vic Firth Educator teaching many master classes and clinics ranging from Jazz, Rock, Latin, and Marching Percussion and mallet instruction. René is the Caption Head for the Rex Putnam KINGSMEN THUNDER Drum Line aka Rex Putnam Indoor Percussion (Rex Putnam HS) in Milwaukie, OR, an award-winning PSA Winter Indoor Drum line program that competes in Scholastic A on the NWAPA circuit and regionally in WGI. She is also a Percussive Arts Society Member, Oregon Music Teachers Assoc (MTNA). member, has written for Tom Tom Magazine, and is on staff at the nationally acclaimed Alan Keown Drum Line camp. She regularily performs piano at events and is hired for keyboard and drum/percussion work in Portland recording studios. René is also busy drumming in professional musical theatre shows, which often have doubling on keyboards. She lives and teaches in Milwaukie with her husband Michael (also a drummer), son Emerson (also a drummer….of course), and two rescue dogs named Tana & Ruby.
Nylo Lam || Front Ensemble Tech
Nylo started his percussion career at Sherwood High School where he won a gold medal at the WGI World Championships in 2022. After graduating in 2023, he marched with the world-class group, The Academy Drum and Bugle Corp. Nylo has taught various schools such as Sherwood Cadet, Century High School, and currently with Rex Putnam High School.
William Jensen || Bass Tech
William started his marching percussion career with Sherwood High School. Once he graduated, William performed throughout the PNW with the Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps, and most recently IMPACT Percussion, scoring 2nd at WGI's open class world championship. With a passion for the marching arts, he is excited to begin his first year as a Bass technician for Rex Putnam.
Wyatt Bell || Front Ensemble Caption Head
Wyatt started in music playing the flute in 6th grade. In 8th grade he joined the Rex Putnam Winter Percussion ensemble on mallet instruments. He remained a member in the group until he graduated in 2022. In 2023, Wyatt marched with the world class group, the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps. He is currently teaching at Rex Putnam.
Jeffrey Brice || Sound Designer & Electronics Tech
Jeffrey Brice is sound designer and music composer who primarily works in the video game industry. He’s been working with Rex Putnam since 2019 in various capacities. Originally working with the ensemble as a front ensemble tech, Jeffrey now primarily creates sound effects for their shows and manages the electronic needs of the line.
He is a proud dad of twins and loves to play games like Magic the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, and Dota 2. He is also an avid Curling player.
Maximilian Logan || Visual Designer
A Portland native, Maximilian is an active designer, adjudicator, clinician, and servant leader in the Pacific Northwest’s athletic arts activities. Maximilian became educated and certified as a Pharmacy Tech but has left that profession behind to pursue his resonant passion of pageantry design. Founding and operating his company; Melody Productions, Maximilian now provides design and educational services to many scholastic and independent ensembles. He was a member of the Oregon Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps from 2008-2012, then was on visual staff there from 2013-2015. Maximilian became involved with the Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps in 2017 on the visual team, then as Caption Supervisor for 2018. He joined the IMPACT Percussion visual team in 2022 and continues to lead in that capacity and as Ensemble Coordinator. Maximilian shepherded the WGI Winds presence in the Pacific Northwest as Director of Sherwood HS Winter Winds for four years, as well as in an elected position on the NWAPA Board as Vice President-Winds for two terms.
Technical Instruction
Eric Yahrmarkt || Music Composer
Eric Yahrmarkt is an accomplished percussion instructor and arranger with experience teaching, performing and writing for ensembles of all ages. Eric has worked for middle school concert and parade programs, competitive high school marching bands and indoor drumlines, conference university drumlines, Open and World Class DCI ensembles, and independent and scholastic WGI ensembles. His experience in the Pacific Northwest spans 20 years of competitive percussion excellence, private instruction, and performance. He received a Bachelor's degree in Percussion Performance under professor David Jarvis at Washington State University (2000-2004). From 2000 to 2002 Eric performed in the tenor line with the Seattle Cascades Drum Corps.
Eric’s teaching experience in the Portland metro area from 2007-2018 includes Seattle Cascades, Oregon Crusaders, OC Indoor, Sunset High School, Liberty High School, Beaverton SD middle schools, Rex Putnam High School, Evergreen high School, Southridge High School, Canby High School and an active private lesson studio. Currently he serves as the Percussion Director for Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, WA. He currently resides in Edmonds WA with his wife Andrea.
Aaron Yewman || Battery Tech & Visual Instructor
Aaron is a PNW local who has been involved with the marching arts for over a decade as a member and educator. From 2014 through 2022 he performed with the Oregon Crusaders, OC Indoor, Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps, and Broken City Percussion, earning a WGI gold medal with them in 2019. Aaron has also been providing instruction throughout his time marching and post age-out to a number of independent groups and schools from junior high through collegiate level. This includes the University of Oregon Marching Band, Blue Knights, Columbians, Impact Percussion, Carolina Crown, and several schools along the west coast. When not teaching Aaron enjoys staying active, cooking, playing drum set, and spending time at home with his cat Shadow.