The Brooklyn Music School welcomes acclaimed drummer and Bronx native, Will Calhoun, to the stage on Saturday May 4, 2019 at 5 pm where he will give a master class prior to the annual drum recital by BMS students. This is a free event with a suggested donation of $5.
When asked about the upcoming event, Piruz Partow, BMS’ Executive Director commented, “We are thrilled and honored to have Mr. Calhoun at BMS. In recent years, BMS has hosted jazz greats Victor Lewis and Mickey Roker, as well as Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth. This is yet another monumental occasion for BMS’ students to learn from, perform for, and interact with a world class musician. I am so excited for our drum students, families, faculty, and community.”
Following the master class, BMS students will showcase all they have been learning in their annual drum recital. BMS Drum department has grown tremendously under the leadership of Brian Woodruff, who also co-chairs BMS’s thriving Jazz department.
The master class and recital will be held in BMS’ landmarked Playhouse Theater located at 126 St. Felix Street, Brooklyn, NY, This event is open to the public and sponsored by Sabian Cymbal Company.
Will Calhoun, the widely acclaimed drummer from the Bronx, New York, graduated from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, where he received a Bachelor's degree in Music Production and engineering. He was also the recipient of the prestigious Buddy Rich Jazz Masters Award for outstanding performance by a drummer.
Will Calhoun's unique blend of improvisational and hard rock drumming can be found on each of Living Colour's four Epic releases: the groundbreaking multi-platinum debut, Vivid, the critically acclaimed sophomore LP, Time's Up, the Biscuits EP, and Stain, as well as their latest release on Sanctuary Records, CollideØscope. A prolific songwriter, Will has co-written many Living Colour compositions and wrote the critically acclaimed song, Pride, on the Time's Up album and Nothingness on the Stain album. As a member of Living Colour, Will received a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance by a group and another Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. Living Colour also won an International Rock Award for Best Rock Band.
Not many artists have the vision and artistic energy to be Grammy winners and contribute to so many genres: jazz, rock, hip-hop, ambient, et al, while concurrently producing, touring, creating new projects, working on films, and continually pushing the envelope. Will Calhoun has this creative vision, and he is doing an extraordinary job keeping music a spiritual and motivating force in his life.