Multifaceted musician Colin Rambert is a percussionist, drummer, and educator who actively performs in a multitude of classical, chamber, and commercial musical contexts.  He has performed in ensembles showcased at the Jazz Education Network Conference, the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, and the College Band Directors National Association Conference.  He has also appeared with Sinfonia da Camera, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, and the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra.  Aside from his orchestral experiences, Colin is an accomplished drum set artist as well.  Since 2013, he has been the drummer/percussionist for The Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan, Illinois, and has performed on over fifteen shows ranging from Broadway classics to modern productions.  Colin also plays drums for alternative rock band The Martian Mellows, funk cover band Ervin Harris and the Gospel, and numerous other pop, rock, and jazz outfits.

 

Colin has served as a session musician on numerous student and professional recording projects.  Album credits include the Millikin University Percussion Ensemble’s Premieres, Volume One (2012), the Millikin University Latin Jazz Project’s Simon Says (2013), The Martian Mellows’ debut EP The Alabama Pup (2014), and the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s album of works by Augusta Read Thomas titled Astral Canticle (2015).  He also appears on the 2009, 2010, and 2011 Vespers recordings by the Millikin University Choirs.  Upcoming releases that he is featured on include a Bridge Records compilation featuring the Illinois Modern Ensemble and a live studio album from Ervin Harris and the Gospel.

 

Colin’s commitment to musical excellence has garnered him numerous awards.  He received the prestigious Swanson Family Percussion Fellowship from the University of Illinois for the 2014-2015 school year.  He also won two 2013 DownBeat Student Music Awards (Best Classical Group and Outstanding Latin Jazz Performance) for recordings created while attending Millikin University.  Other accolades include receiving Outstanding Recognition at the 2011 Elmhurst College Jazz Festival and nominations for the Millikin University Pi Kappa Lambda Honors Recital in both 2011 and 2012.

 

Colin is also an active music educator.  He has taught privately through various music shops and university preparatory programs throughout the state of Illinois.  He was a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Illinois where he taught the percussion methods course for music education majors as well as private instruction for non-major percussionists.  Colin also served as a percussion instructor at Mt. Zion Jr./Sr. High School in Mt. Zion, Illinois, where he coached the drumline, concert band percussion section, and percussion ensemble throughout the 2012-2013 school year.

 

Colin holds a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Music degree in Commercial Music from Millikin University.  His principal teachers include William Moersch, Ricardo Flores, Brian Justison, Dr. Jeremy Brunk, and Tom Leddy.