About
Ilia Rayskin is one of the most promising, upcoming drummers & composers right now.
From early on, Ilia was exposed to a large variety of music on a daily basis. After playing the violin for a few years, he picked up the drums at the age of ten. It became clear very quickly that he had a talent for the instrument and a unique voice which is characterised by his energetic approach and versatility across a wide range of musical genres. He has performed with countless renowned musicians around the world, and leads his own projects such as the trio “Mn3mosyne”. Currently he is pursuing his Master’s degree in contemporary composition and performance at the New School, NYC.
BIO
Ilia was exposed to music from an early age: whether chamber music rehearsals or LP and CD recordings playing in the living room with repertoire spanning from Bach and Brahms to The Police.
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At the age of six Ilia started taking violin lessons. After moving to Germany with his family, he switched to drums, studying with Dominik Wimmer and started performing with local bands and theatre productions at the age of fifteen.
Back in Amsterdam at the age of eighteen, he started studying at the Amsterdam Conservatory, where he recently finished his Bachelor’s degree in jazz drums. Currently he is pursuing his Master’s degree at The New School in New York, New York. He has studied with a plethora of influential musicians such as Matt Mitchell, Peter Evans, Ari Hoenig, Martijn Vink.
The twenty something has had an opportunity to work and perform regularly with some of the most respected musicians of the European jazz scene such as Jesse van Ruller, Jasper Blom, Xavi Torres, Eran Har Even, Reinier Baas, Ben van Gelder, Itai Weissman, Gideon Tazelaar, Clemens van der Veen, Joris Roelofs, Rob van Bavel and Karel Boehlee among others.
As a musician and person Ilia continuously strives to develop and learn. He takes influence from a very broad scope of musical styles including contemporary classical music, jazz, avant-garde and electronic music. His versatility across genres is a core characteristic of his unique voice. Ilia is eager to explore things out of his comfort zone and is always looking for new sources of inspiration. Both as composer and performer he strives to think outside the box and to generate unique and deeply personal artistic output. Currently is performing with his trio “Mn3mosyne”, composing contemporary classical works for various instrumentalists as well as performing as a sideman with countless groups across the globe.