Biography

Kenneth Metzker began his musical studies in classical piano from age 4-16. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Performance as a Percussionist from the University of Kentucky under the direction of James B. Campbell. He began his Afro-Cuban/Brazilian folkloric studies with Michael Spiro at age 15, which led him to study with many other notables in the Afro-Cuban genre around the United States. He traveled to Matanzas, Cuba to study Afro-Cuban folkloric music with the world renowned Los Muñequitos de Matanzas and Grupo Afro-Cuba. His work has taken him to Cuba, Brazil, Europe, and the Caribbean as a performer, instructor and student. He spent time in the northeast of Brazil collaborating and performing with various musical groups and dance companies, including Cia. Vata, Caravana Cultural, and Dona Zefinha, with whom he performed in Recife and Olinda, Pernambuco for Carnaval. He was a Percussionist-In-Residence at schools in Guaramiranga, Ceara, Brazil, Fortaleza and throughout the state of Ceara, Brazil (2005). He has taught at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater summer percussion workshop, University of Tennessee, Martin as a Guest Teaching Artist (2005), at past “Rhythm Explosion” workshops in Bozeman, Montana (2004-2010), and at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, Jazz Week (2005+2013), where he collaborated and performed with Rebeca Mauleon and Jimmy Branley. He has worked as a dance accompanist in numerous settings, including the Florida Dance Festival, New World School of the Arts (2005-2018), NOVA University, Florida International University, Brazz Dance Theatre (2005-present), Young Arts national event in Miami, and Soul to Sole Tap Festival , Austin, TX, collaborating with choreographer Katherine Kramer (2004). Kenneth was a participant in the Third World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart, Germany(2002) and had an original Afro-Cuban composition premiered with the University of Kentucky percussion ensemble at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (2001). He has performed at the Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami, Florida for the “Annual Brazilian Film Festival” as part of the awards ceremony, with Shakira on the Jimmy Kimmel show and the Bank Atlantic Center in Florida and as a performer and workshop instructor at the Grassroots festivals in New York/North Carolina/Miami. He played in the official music video for the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte. Kenneth has taught in the Miami school system with Arts for Learning, Guitars Over Guns, and many other after school programs in Miami-Dade County. Kenneth worked as a free-lance musician in Miami recording, performing and teaching from 2005-2018. He began working at the University of Florida in the School of Theatre and Dance and School of Music in 2019, where he continues currently as Faculty with the position of an Assistant In Musicial Accompaniment.