Josiah DeNooyer | Drums/Composition

Josiah DeNooyer is a multi-faceted musician and composer from Grand Rapids, MI currently located in Kalamazoo, MI. Music has been in Josiah’s blood since he was a toddler banging on pots and pans on the kitchen floor. When he was seven, this passion for creating sound was channelled into studying piano, which opened up a whole world of musical possibility. He was then drawn to the drums and began participating in WMHFA, a music education program in Grand Rapids. There, he played percussion in Drumline, Concert Band, numerous other small ensembles, and eventually the group that shaped him the most musically: jazz band.

Jazz (or rather, Black American Music) opened the door for greater musical freedom and expression, and Josiah began pursuing improvised music and the drumset more intentionally. He performed around West Michigan with multiple small groups, including local jazz festivals and various events with his combo. He attended Keith Hall’s Summer Drum Intensive, which led to him studying privately with Keith Hall on drums and Robin Connell on piano. With these opportunities, the social and communal potential for the music became increasingly important to Josiah, and so he decided to pursue a degree in Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University (WMU).

Josiah joined Plymouth Chamber Players in 2022.