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                                    BIOGRAPHY

 

 

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Paul Bannerman is an internationally touring drummer, music professional, and multilingual creative whose career spans large-scale productions, musical theatre, television, film, and live performance across the globe.

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Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, Paul began studying drums and percussion at an early age. His early musical training included jazz summer programs in London and Brussels, as well as the Classical Music Program at Canford School of Music in England. After graduating from high school with the school’s Music Award, he moved to Canada to pursue a professional music career.

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At just 19 years old, Paul graduated with Honours from St. Francis Xavier University with a performance-focused Jazz Music Diploma. He went on to serve as a musician with Canada’s National Military Band of the Ceremonial Guard in Ottawa, performing daily at the iconic Changing of the Guard ceremony on Parliament Hill. He later continued his formal education in Toronto, attending Humber College (Jazz/Commercial Music Performance) and The Harris Institute for the Arts (Music Business).

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During his 13 years in Toronto, Paul became a highly sought-after professional drummer. He recorded on 19 CDs, appeared on a Cirque du Soleil DVD, performed in feature films, music videos, and live television broadcasts including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Live with Regis and Kelly. He regularly performed in venues ranging from 2,000 to 18,000 seats, backing international artists and ensembles.

 

Paul’s performance experience spans 49 musical theatre productions worldwide, jazz and swing big bands (including the Glenn Miller Orchestra), orchestral work as a timpanist, pipe bands including the RCMP Pipes & Drums, and ceremonial marching ensembles of the Canadian Armed Forces.

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In 2001, Paul was selected as the featured drum set player for the Emmy-nominated, Tony Award-winning Broadway production Blast! at Disney’s EPCOT Center in Orlando. Later that year, he passed international auditions and joined Cirque du Soleil to tour with their new production Varekai.

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Over the next 16 years, Paul performed in every one of Varekai’s 5,219 performances, without missing a single show—playing to over 12 million spectators in 245 cities across 45 countries on five continents. The production took its final bow on December 23, 2017, marking the conclusion of one of Cirque du Soleil’s longest-running touring shows.

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Since 2018, Paul has been working as an Assistant Music Manager / Houseband Drummer on 15 cruise ships for Princess Cruises performing over 2,200 shows, including 22 large-scale production shows, and has backed more than 240 guest entertainers, many of whom are finalists from The Voice, X Factor, America’s Got Talent, American Idol, and Britain’s Got Talent, as well as West End and Broadway performers.

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Beyond music, Paul is passionate about photography, videography and drone work, and learning new languages - creative pursuits shaped by a lifetime of global travel. He has visited 3,600 cities in 157 countries on all seven continents and speaks six languages, with fluent English and French.

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Paul is a Canadian citizen and has been based out of Halifax, Canada and Las Vegas, USA since 2005. His long-term artistic goal is to tour international arenas with a recording artist or band, continuing to bring rhythm, discipline, and musical storytelling to audiences worldwide.