FINLAY PANTER
Finlay Panter is a Liverpool-born drummer, percussionist, and composer, recognized for his contributions to the European jazz and improvisational music scenes. A graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) with honors in 2007, Panter received the prestigious Sabian Cymbal Award in 2005. Throughout his studies, he was mentored by legendary musicians such as Chris Potter, Dave Weckl, John Patitucci, Bob Mintzer, and Dennis Rollins, developing a wide-ranging skill set in both drumming and composition.
As the drummer and a founding member of the Beats and Pieces Big Band, Panter has played a key role in the band’s success, earning accolades like the 2010 European Young Artists' Jazz Award at the Burghausen International Jazz Festival. Having been based in Berlin for over a decade, he has performed at renowned venues and festivals across Europe and North America, including Bimhuis, Porgy & Bess, Jazzahead!, Oslo Jazzfestival, North Sea Jazz Festival, and transatlantic jazz festivals in Toronto, Rochester, and Montreal. Panter has also studied with influential drummers John Hollenbeck and Jim Black, further enhancing his dynamic playing style.
In addition to his jazz career, Panter serves as the principal percussionist of the Berlin Academy of American Music (BAAM), performing at distinguished venues such as the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Enescu Festival in Romania. He is also a regular performer and composer with the Composers Orchestra Berlin (COB), showcasing his versatility as both a percussionist and composer.
Passionate about improvisation, Panter is part of a Berlin-based trio called Toiy, which focuses on purely improvised music, a project in which he has also composed original material. The trio has collaborated with Ben Cottrell as part of Cottrell's PhD research on the connections between composition and pure improvisation.
As a composer and bandleader, Panter formed the Finlay Panter Quartet, a group dedicated to performing his compositions and exploring new compositional ideas. The quartet has recently performed in Berlin, with plans to record and tour in the near future.
In recognition of his compositional talents, Panter was nominated for the British Composers Award in the jazz category in 2018. Whether behind the drums, as a percussionist, or in the role of composer, Panter's versatility continually drives his innovative and forward-thinking approach to music.