Bio
Roy Lewis is an improviser, experimenter, educator, mover, and trumpet player. They use electronics, movement, and multimedia works to push the boundaries of conventional trumpet playing and performance practice. Lewis’s art thrives in a space that pushes the comfort zones of both themself and their audience by exploring emotionally charged and honest depictions of their own life and the world. Their improvisations are informed by finding moments of joy and play in everyday life and by blurring the boundaries between audience, listener, and performer.
Roy is a frequent performer at museums and interdisciplinary arts festivals including Cambridge Science Festival (MA), Comfest of Columbus (OH), Wonderball at the Columbus Museum of Art (OH), and the Trout Museum of Art (WI) where they premiere improvised sets of music, movement, electronics, and sheet metal. For their most recent performance at Cambridge Science Festival, they crafted an interactive experience using trumpet, electronics, common household items, and deep listening techniques to guide the listener through exploring sound and play.
They were a featured musician in Breathe, the interdisciplinary water opera created by cellist Loren Dempster, dancer Gabriel Forestieri, and visual artist Adrian Jevicki who transformed the Lawrence University swimming pool at Buchanan Kiewit Wellness Center into the stage for the event.
Roy’s most recent projects include turning everyday objects into instruments with naturally occurring electronic currents, using amplified paint brushes and Ableton Live to simultaneously paint and create improvised soundscapes, and creating interactive multimedia works with text scores that the audience can participate in.
Roy's compositions ‘Interstellar Medium’ for small ensemble and ‘Movement’ for four trumpets premiered in 2020 and 2021 in Pickman Hall of Longy School of Music. Their composition ‘Carry’ for trumpet, saxophone, and bass was premiered in 2018 in Harper Hall of Lawrence University.
Roy holds Masters Degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music from Longy School of Music (’22) and a Bachelor of Music Degree from Lawrence University and Conservatory of Appleton Wisconsin (’19). They have studied trumpet, electronics, and movement from Ashley Hall, Matt Turner, Margaret Paek, Loren Dempster, Matt Lee, and Kari Lee.
Roy is a frequent performer at museums and interdisciplinary arts festivals including Cambridge Science Festival (MA), Comfest of Columbus (OH), Wonderball at the Columbus Museum of Art (OH), and the Trout Museum of Art (WI) where they premiere improvised sets of music, movement, electronics, and sheet metal. For their most recent performance at Cambridge Science Festival, they crafted an interactive experience using trumpet, electronics, common household items, and deep listening techniques to guide the listener through exploring sound and play.
They were a featured musician in Breathe, the interdisciplinary water opera created by cellist Loren Dempster, dancer Gabriel Forestieri, and visual artist Adrian Jevicki who transformed the Lawrence University swimming pool at Buchanan Kiewit Wellness Center into the stage for the event.
Roy’s most recent projects include turning everyday objects into instruments with naturally occurring electronic currents, using amplified paint brushes and Ableton Live to simultaneously paint and create improvised soundscapes, and creating interactive multimedia works with text scores that the audience can participate in.
Roy's compositions ‘Interstellar Medium’ for small ensemble and ‘Movement’ for four trumpets premiered in 2020 and 2021 in Pickman Hall of Longy School of Music. Their composition ‘Carry’ for trumpet, saxophone, and bass was premiered in 2018 in Harper Hall of Lawrence University.
Roy holds Masters Degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music from Longy School of Music (’22) and a Bachelor of Music Degree from Lawrence University and Conservatory of Appleton Wisconsin (’19). They have studied trumpet, electronics, and movement from Ashley Hall, Matt Turner, Margaret Paek, Loren Dempster, Matt Lee, and Kari Lee.
Teaching Philosophy
I believe that teaching is an opportunity to grow the individual and their passion for learning. First and foremost, I strive to encourage the student’s creativity, passion, and individuality. Music is a means for self expression. The student should be equipped with the tools necessary to see their artistic pursuits through, bring to life the sounds that they hear in their heads, and ultimately teach themselves. In order to accomplish this, I incorporate improvisation, exploration of musical questions, extended techniques, singing, movement, and the study of genres outside of Western music.
As a teacher it is my responsibility to address any issues that could potentially cause long term damage. I take an individualized approach to each student’s learning. Everyone learns at different paces and in different ways. It is my purpose to make sure each student thrives under my teaching and is able to be happy and passionate about the learning process. Students should feel comfortable making mistakes and learning from them.
I have experience teaching students just starting out their musical journey, with little to no experience improvising, as well as intermediate and professional players. I have taught group and private lessons. I use play based learning, guiding questions, intervallic improvisation, development of a pallet of sounds unique to each person, and recomposition of existing works to help the student discover their own style and voice. I believe composition is an important tool for artistic expression. After each year of study, students will complete 3-5 compositions that synthesize their own voice, using these improvisational approaches as guidelines.
I am committed to providing an encouraging environment where every students’ voice matters. I believe our different backgrounds, experiences, and cultures bring a valuable viewpoint to our improvisation and musicianship. By staying true to these values, we can realize our artistic potential. It is important to expose musicians to different world views through studying and listening attentively to a wide variety of improvisation styles from around the world.
As a teacher it is my responsibility to address any issues that could potentially cause long term damage. I take an individualized approach to each student’s learning. Everyone learns at different paces and in different ways. It is my purpose to make sure each student thrives under my teaching and is able to be happy and passionate about the learning process. Students should feel comfortable making mistakes and learning from them.
I have experience teaching students just starting out their musical journey, with little to no experience improvising, as well as intermediate and professional players. I have taught group and private lessons. I use play based learning, guiding questions, intervallic improvisation, development of a pallet of sounds unique to each person, and recomposition of existing works to help the student discover their own style and voice. I believe composition is an important tool for artistic expression. After each year of study, students will complete 3-5 compositions that synthesize their own voice, using these improvisational approaches as guidelines.
I am committed to providing an encouraging environment where every students’ voice matters. I believe our different backgrounds, experiences, and cultures bring a valuable viewpoint to our improvisation and musicianship. By staying true to these values, we can realize our artistic potential. It is important to expose musicians to different world views through studying and listening attentively to a wide variety of improvisation styles from around the world.