by Lauren Vogel Weiss

Raynor Carroll was the first Black percussionist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he served as Principal Percussionist for over three decades, from 1983 until 2016. He also promoted diversity in classical music through his performances with the Sphinx Symphony and Chineke! Orchestra. But his most important legacy may be his tireless efforts to make classical music more inclusive and accessible, as evidenced by his founding the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists (ABOP).

“Throughout his distinguished career, Carroll has contributed exceptionally to percussion performance, education, and literature, profoundly influencing the field while breaking barriers and promoting diversity in classical music,” states Dr. Dave Gerhart, Artist Relations Partner for the Yamaha Corporation of America.

Carroll described what it felt like to be selected for this honor. “To be inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame along with people who were very close to me, like William Kraft and my teacher, Mitchell Peters, is quite humbling.”

FROM PASADENA TO LOS ANGELES
Raynor Carroll was born on December 15, 1957 in Baltimore, Maryland. A few years later, the family moved to the Los Angeles area. “All of my schooling was in Pasadena,” Carroll recalls. “Although there was a big controversy over busing in the late 1960s and early ’70s, I really benefitted from that because the Pasadena school district had fantastic music programs back then.”

Every New Year’s Eve, the Carroll family would camp out along the Tournament of Roses Parade route in their hometown, and young Raynor was entranced with the drums as they marched by. “I was obsessed, and I think I had an ear for percussion.”

Students in Pasadena did not enroll in band classes until 7th grade, but when he was in 6th grade, Raynor began taking lessons with Paul Killian at the local Boys Club. “Mr. Killian was one of those teachers who loved what they did, and that makes a big difference. When I started band in 7th grade, I was moved up to the intermediate band with some of the older students.”

Although he did not officially take lessons in high school, Raynor credits one of his teachers as Vic Firth, who he watched perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on PBS. “I just tried to imitate what Vic Firth did,” Carroll recalls with a laugh. “Years later, I told him that my favorite recording was [Stravinsky’s] ‘Rite of Spring’ that the BSO recorded in the early ’70s.” Raynor would go on to play both the timpani and bass drum parts in that piece countless times with the L.A. Phil.

Carroll also credits a student assembly at his high school for changing the course of his life. “When I was a sophomore, the L.A. Phil, under the direction of Zubin Mehta, gave a concert at Pasadena High School. I remember seeing Bill Kraft on timpani, Mitchell Peters playing snare, and Walt Goodwin and Chuck Delancey playing percussion, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I didn’t know how to go about it, but I knew I wanted to play percussion in an orchestra.”

After graduating from Pasadena High School in 1975, Carroll received a full scholarship to attend Cal State University Los Angeles, where he became a student of Mitchell Peters. “Studying with him was another life-changing event,” says Carroll. “Whatever he asked me to do, I’d do it. Since I didn’t have much direction before, Mr. Peters taught me technique and musicianship.

“I remember staying late one night to practice the timpani part for Bill Kraft’s ‘Momentum’,” Raynor continues. “All of a sudden, I could see myself practicing, like an out-of-body experience. Now I know I was in that ‘flow,’ but it was the first time it ever happened to me. I realized it takes this type of practice, repetition, and discipline to really propel yourself forward. That was a very important moment for me.”

What was the most significant thing he learned from Peters? “Everything!” Carroll replies. “His demeanor, what he said to other people, whether to his students or teachers on the faculty, how he dealt with conductors, everything.”

Although he finished the majority of classwork at Cal State L.A. in 1979, Carroll did not officially receive his Bachelor of Music in Performance and Composition degree until 1984. During those years, he performed as a freelance percussionist with the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra, under such conductors as Michael Tilson Thomas and Myung-Whun Chung, and the American Youth Symphony, under the direction of Mehli Mehta, as well as subbing for the L.A. Phil. Carroll also began teaching at the Stephen Wise Temple School and the Mirman School for Gifted Children.

FROM STUDENT TO COLLEAGUE
When Kraft retired in 1982, the timpani position in the L.A. Phil opened up, but Carroll did not feel he was ready to audition. However, the orchestra did not hire anyone from that round of auditions, so they held another audition in 1983. “Mitch told me that I was ready and I should do it,” Carroll recalls. “So I did. I was amazed that I advanced past the first round. I didn’t think I would get the job, so I was very relaxed. I was surprised when I advanced to the final round, and a little bit shocked when Maestro Carlo Maria Giulini shook my hand and said, ‘Welcome to the orchestra.’ I was quite surprised that I won my first professional audition.”

In 1983, Carroll became Co-Principal with his former teacher, Peters, as the two alternated timpani and percussion parts through the season. In addition to Giulini, Carroll lists Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and John Williams as some of his favorite conductors. “John was always fun to play with. The music he wrote for percussion and timpani was demanding, but great parts. He was not only a kind gentleman on the podium, he was an amazing musician, too.”

Carroll also recalls some of his favorite concerts. “The last part of my audition was playing timpani in Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony, and my first actual performance as a member of the orchestra was with Simon Rattle conducting Mahler’s First Symphony, so I’ll always remember those concerts. Another memorable performance would be Messiaen’s ‘St. Francis of Assisi’; we did the complete three-act opera in Salzburg in 1992. I played solo xylophone in front of the concertmaster, Mitch played the xylorimba part right in front of the Maestro, and Perry Dreiman played the marimba part positioned in front of the celli.

“I also remember playing Stravinsky’s ‘Soldier’s Tale’ with Boulez. Anything we did with Boulez was amazing, including his piece ‘Le Marteau sans maître’ [‘The Hammer without a Master’]. Plus the many performances and recordings of ‘The Rite of Spring’ that we did with Salonen, which were always memorable.”

The October 23–25, 2003 gala opening concerts for the orchestra’s new home, Walt Disney Concert Hall, also stand out in Carroll’s memories. “It was a lot of work,” he explains, “but it was a fantastic experience. We did three separate opening concerts! The first one featured symphonic works, including ‘The Rite of Spring.’ The second one featured compositions from the 20th and 21st centuries, and the third one paid tribute to Hollywood soundtracks, conducted by Salonen and John Williams.”

Carroll reflects on the duties of being a principal player in a major orchestra. “It goes beyond just playing. Of course, you’ve got to prepare your part and be at rehearsal, but there’s so much more to it. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle that someone puts on your desk every week. Which player should play this part? What instruments need to be on stage for this piece? What’s the best way to have stations for everyone so the setups — possibly three or four per program — don’t have to be changed throughout the concert? And every time we would do a John Williams program at the Hollywood Bowl, I’d come home with a stack of music to sort through because the first half of the concert might be eight pieces, the second half another eight, plus three encores, so that’s almost 20 pieces! Though it was time consuming, I enjoyed figuring out the puzzle.”

In addition to the L.A. Phil, Raynor also performed in other Phil-related ensembles, such as the Green Umbrella. “That ensemble was started by our legendary composer/percussionist/timpanist Bill Kraft,” explains Carroll. “He thought there should be more opportunities to play new music in a chamber setting. So we were able to play pieces like [Edgard Varèse’s] ‘Ionisation,’ as well as music by John Adams and Steve Reich.”

Carroll’s percussive skills can also be heard on several Hollywood soundtracks, including The Lion King, BlacKkKlansman, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

After 33 seasons, Raynor retired from his dream job. “I got to play all the repertoire that I wanted to play with amazing conductors and soloists. I loved the music; there’s nothing better than being onstage, hitting a drum, and being paid to do that! I just thought it was time to go before it was definitely time to go. And I won’t miss the long drive to the Hollywood Bowl for a morning rehearsal!”

Carroll’s last official concert with the Phil was on September 4, 2016 at the Hollywood Bowl. “Movie soundtracks in the first half, all John Williams in the second half. You think about your last concert, but when you experience it, it’s surreal. Packing up all my mallets and instruments I had there — it’s like getting off a fast-moving train. It took me a couple of years to really decompress.”

EDUCATING AND PUBLISHING
During his years with the L.A. Phil, Carroll shared his knowledge and experience with students throughout Southern California. “I love teaching,” he says. “I love sharing my passion with others. It’s just a way to connect with people. There’s nothing better than seeing the joy in students’ eyes when they are playing.”

A few years after joining the L.A. Phil, Carroll began to teach at his alma mater, Cal State L.A., and continued to teach there for two decades (1985–2005). He also taught at Cal State Long Beach (1995–2010), plus a semester at USC. He was even the percussion teacher at UCLA (2011–18) after Mitchell Peters retired. Carroll also maintains a private lesson studio at his home in Pasadena.

“I first met Mr. Carroll during the summer of 1990 when I was an undergrad student,” remembers Douglas Cardwell, former Principal Timpanist with the New Mexico Philharmonic. “I was a member of the All-American College Band at Disneyland, and I took a lesson with him. It was wonderful to see a person who looked like me that had a principal position in a major symphony orchestra. I really enjoyed his passion for teaching, plus all the knowledge and wisdom he was able to share.”

While with the L.A. Phil, Carroll would transpose glockenspiel parts, and he soon had enough to fill two books. “When I was in school, there was the Alan Abel repertoire book, plus the repertoire in the back of the Goldenberg mallet and snare books. But it was difficult to find all the excerpts that you needed to practice.” In 1996, he founded his publishing company, Batterie Music. Thanks to the popularity of the first two volumes, he followed those up with books on snare drum, bass drum and cymbals, two volumes of xylophone excerpts, and another on tambourine, triangle, and castanets. He also wrote a popular timpani method book, Exercises, Etudes and Solos for the Timpani. “Mitchell Peters told me that he started writing for his students, which inspired me to write for mine,” Carroll explains.

Another well-known book he authored is the Symphonic Repertoire Guide for Timpani and Percussion, which lists the instrument requirements and part assignments for timpani and percussion in more than 3,000 symphonic works. The book includes dates, durations, and even when instruments can be shared between parts, along with translations for unusual instruments, as well as suggested replacements.

Batterie Music was a regular exhibitor at PASIC from 1996 until 2006. Carroll also participated in two orchestral panel discussions at PASIC 2001 (“Principal Percussion Duties”) and PASIC 2002 (“Auditions”). He also gave a clinic at PASIC 2002 in Columbus, Ohio. “I always tell my students to ‘work more on your weakness’,” Carroll explains, “so I wanted to give a clinic on bass drum. It’s important to work on snare, timpani, and mallets, but don’t overlook the accessories.”

Eric Sooy, President of Black Swamp Percussion, used all of Carroll’s excerpt books to prepare for auditions. “Gone were the days of me, and everyone else, digging around libraries for parts,” he remembers. “Raynor’s books were light years ahead of anything else that was available.”

DIVERSITY
Raynor began playing with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra in the late 1990s. Comprised of top professionals from around the country, the SSO performs at the annual Sphinx Competition, serving as mentors and teachers for young students of color as they try to increase diversity onstage. “It’s a great experience, and their program has been very successful over the years,” states Carroll.

Carroll has also performed with the Chineke! Orchestra, which was founded in 2015 by Chi-chi Nwanoku. Their mission is to provide outstanding career opportunities for established and up-and-coming Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians in the U.K. and Europe. “It’s such a unique experience to play onstage with people who look like you,” Carroll says. “That might sound odd, but it’s not until you experience it as a minority that you realize it’s kind of amazing. I think playing with this ensemble got me thinking about starting ABOP: the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists.

“When I joined the L.A. Phil, a Black violinist joined at the same time, so we doubled the number of Blacks in the orchestra,” Carroll says with a sigh. “There were still not many Black musicians onstage and there were not many [Blacks] in the audience either. I wanted to fill that void and create a percussion program aimed towards Black orchestral percussionists.”

During the pandemic shutdown in 2020, Carroll organized a Zoom call with several of his Black colleagues: Timothy K. Adams, Jr. (former Principal Timpanist, Pittsburgh Symphony), Douglas Cardwell, Michael Crusoe (former Principal Timpanist, Seattle Symphony), Jauvon Gilliam (Principal Timpanist, National Symphony Orchestra), Joshua Jones (former Principal Percussionist, Kansas City Symphony), and Johnny Lee Lane (retired Professor of Percussion Studies, Eastern Illinois University).

“I told them that individually, we’ve had, or are having, great careers,” explains Carroll, “but…I think collectively, we can do something really powerful and help those Black orchestral percussionists who are following us. We knew it was a very difficult path and wanted to make it easier for those in the future.” ABOP immediately developed a mentorship program, the first of its kind to provide crucial guidance, support, and empowerment to emerging Black symphonic percussionists. By November 2022, ABOP had an exhibit booth at PASIC to spread the word, and in January 2023, began accepting its first protégés into the mentorship program.

“We started with three protégés,” Carroll shares. “Since then we have grown to seven protégés. We provide one-on-one lessons, master classes, workshops, performance opportunities, and assistance with equipment, finances, and applications for schools and jobs, all at no cost. We hope to have more success stories in the future as we continue to grow at a slow and steady pace. We want protégés to be paired with Black mentors as they experience life as Black classical musicians, which is a minority of the minorities!”

Paul W. Hogle, President of the Cleveland Institute of Music, is a Board member for ABOP. “Not only does Raynor have a servant’s heart,” Hogle states, “he also is a gifted, collaborative, and thoughtful administrator. Raynor is both tenacious and inspiringly curious. Watching his work with ABOP is inspiring because of his integrity and the impact he is having on a next generation of Black orchestral percussionists.”

ABOP’s corporate sponsors include Black Swamp Percussion, Cooperman, Freer Percussion, Innovative Percussion, insoundmallets, Majestic, Malletech, Marimba One, Remo, Sabian, Vic Firth, and Zildjian, and the list continues to grow. “Black Swamp Percussion has been a proud supporter and sponsor of ABOP since its inception,” states Eric Sooy. “This groundbreaking organization that Raynor started is incredibly impressive in its organization, operation, and mission achievements.”

Carroll doesn’t consider himself a Black percussionist. “I’m part of a 100-piece orchestra, and I just happen to be Black.” But his presence is a motivating example to countless minority musicians everywhere.

“In addition to all his musical achievements,” summarizes Dave Gerhart, “Raynor Carroll’s efforts have made classical music more inclusive and accessible. His legacy will continue to influence and inspire percussionists for generations to come.”