Paul James Bannerman

Paul was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium. After studying drums & percussion at school, he attended several Jazz summer programs in London (England) and Brussels (Belgium). He also attended the Classical Music Program at England's prestigious Canford School of Music. After graduating from high school with the school's music award, he moved to Canada to pursue his musical career. At the age of 19, he graduated with the performance-oriented Jazz Music Diploma with Honours from St. Francis Xavier University. Following his military service in Ottawa, with Canada's National Military Band of the Ceremonial Guard for the 'Changing of the Guard' ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Paul moved to Toronto and attended the music programs at Humber College for the Applied Arts (Jazz / Commercial Music Performance) and the Harris Institute for the Arts (Music Business). During his 13 years in Toronto, Paul recorded on 19 CDs (Cirque Du Soleil, McCauley Brothers, Solitudes), one DVD (Cirque Du Soleil's 'Varekai'), performed in two motion pictures ('The X-Men'), three videos (Justin Gray), and ten live television shows (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live with Regis and Kelly). He performed in 2,000 to 18,000-seat venues in Toronto on a regular basis backing international artists and groups. He has performed in the pit orchestra for 49 musical/theatre productions worldwide, numerous jazz/swing big bands (Glen Miller Orchestra), and several pipe bands (Ontario Provincial Police Pipes and Drums, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pipes & Drums) and marching bands (Governor-General's Horse Guards, Royal Regiment of Canada). Paul also performed as a timpanist with Symphony Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, the Etobicoke Philharmonic, the Scarborough Philharmonic, and the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. He is on the musical staff of five cruise lines including Princess Cruises. Up until 2001, Paul taught privately for several years and conducted percussion seminars in schools all over Toronto.

In the Spring of 2001, Paul was hired as the featured drum set player with the Emmy-nominated/Tony Award-winning Broadway Show 'Blast!' at Disney's Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida.

In November 2001, Paul passed world-wide auditions and joined Cirque Du Soleil to tour the world with their brand new production show 'Varekai'. For the following 16 years, he toured with this Emmy-award winning show performing in every one of Varekai's 5,219 shows (without missing a single performance) to over 12 million spectators in 245 cities (24 countries & 5 continents).