About Colin

Bio:

Hi! My name is Dr. Colin R. Williams and I am a percussionist, educator, and composer active in multiple avenues of music.

I am a founding member of and performer with BANYAN Quartet, a percussion quartet based in Miami, FL. BANYAN regularly performs both within the United States and internationally. Most recently, the National University of Colombia in Bogotá invited BANYAN to serve as artists in residence at their music festival—"Encuentro de Percusión RESONANCIAS: Contempo 30 años.” I also founded CoDa Percussion Duo, along with percussionist Daniel Crisp. CoDa actively commissions and workshops pieces with many composers such as Molly Joyce and Evan Chapman. New Music is an area I greatly enjoy, and in addition to my work with CoDa and BANYAN, I regularly work with contemporary chamber ensembles such as NODUS Ensemble, Kaleidoscope MusArt, and Nu Deco Ensemble.

As a soloist, I have completed multiple recital tours, performing and providing masterclasses at various collegiate music programs throughout the United States. My solo work largely focuses on electro-acoustic percussion and unique styles of presentation. I have had the pleasure of performing internationally (specifically South America) as well and greatly enjoy sharing my love of electro-acoustic music.

As a section percussionist, I have performed with groups such as the Florida Grand Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, New World Symphony, Symphony of the Americas, South Florida Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Wind Symphony, as well as other professional orchestras and wind ensembles. As a marching percussionist, I performed with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (DCI) and the George Mason Indoor Drumline (WGI-World Class).

Currently, I serve as the professor of percussion at Florida International University, where I teach percussion lessons, percussion methods, and percussion ensemble. I regularly teach music theory courses at FIU as well. Prior to teaching at FIU, I instructed private lessons and group classes for the South Florida Center of the Percussive Arts (a non-profit for percussion education). Additionally, I served as the head drumline instructor for the East Carolina University Marching Pirates, where I was responsible for writing percussion parts for the marching band and taught the university’s drumline.

I hold a doctorate of the musical arts from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, along with a doctoral cognate in music theory. Prior to that, I completed my Master’s degree in percussion performance from Rutgers University, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in both music education and music composition/theory from East Carolina University. I have been fortunate to have studied under renowned percussionists including Svet Stoyanov, Joe Petrasek, Matt Strauss, Greg Zuber, Joe Tompkins, Dr. Mike Truesdell, Kyle Zerna, Javier Diaz, Dr. Jonathan Wacker, and Christopher Nappi.  I have also studied composition under Dr. Marc Faris and Dr. Ed Jacobs.

I am now based in Miami, FL where I live with my wonderful wife Marie and my cat Reggae.