Bio

Louis Raymond-Kolker (b. 1995) is a composer and percussionist from Austin, Texas. He is a member of Inside Out Steelband, Larkspur Percussion Duo, and Trace Chamber Society, He teaches percussion, composition, and music theory at High Point University.

Louis actively works to facilitate the creation and performance of new music, and foster connections between composers, performers, and audiences. His compositions blend a sense of sentimentality, vivid imagery, and treating silly things seriously (and vice versa). As a performer, Louis specializes on steelpan, the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, and regularly premieres new works for instruments in the steelpan family.

Louis is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he studied percussion with Dr. Dave Hall and composition with Dr. Greg Simon. He completed his undergraduate work at Texas A&M-Commerce, where he studied with Dr. Brian Zator, Dr. David Davies, Dr. Andrew Lynge, Sandi Rennick, Kent Hillman, and J.J. Pipitone. Most recently, he studied as part of the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s APA Pan Fellowship with Dr. Mia Gormandy-Benjamin, Leon “Smooth” Edwards, Seion Gomez, and Josh Watkins.

Louis is a member of the Dream Educators Collective and the Black Swamp Percussion Educator Network. His compositions are published through C. Alan Publications (solo, chamber, and orchestra) and Boxfish Music Publishing (steelband).