We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ilya Dynov a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ilya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My skills have been built up from a combination of taking lessons, playing in bands and orchestras, listening to music, studying books, playing different styles of music.
Knowing what I know now I would have focused more from the beginning on the styles of music I really wanted to play and I would have explored more old and traditional jazz repertoire from the beginning. I always wanted to play jazz related styles of music, however in the environment where I grew up, finding people to play this style of music with was very limited. I also always loved Latin music, but there was nobody to play this style of music where I grew up. In the beginning I learned a lot of things from teachers, books and playing in bands. I finished my masters degree in music and continued to play in various styles of music. The best learning experience for me was to go to the places where the music styles came from and were the most present and to play with people who came from those cultures. For example, I went to Cuba to study percussion for a couple of weeks, played with West-African musicians and eventually moved to New York City to play jazz.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started playing music from a very young age, starting with piano and switched to drums and percussion later on. I finished a masters degree in percussion in Belgium and moved to New York in 2018. I was surrounded with music all my life and decided to pursue a professional career.
I provide services as a performing musician, recording artist, educator and composer in multiple styles of music. What sets me apart from others is my versatility. I have experience playing in bands in styles of jazz, pop, world music and much more. Besides playing in New York, I have done multiple tours in Europe, South Korea, the West-Coast of the USA, New Orleans and many more places. and At the same time I have experience playing classical music in ensemble, chamber music, orchestras and solo. I also compose music and am besides a sideman a bandleader. In my career I have also recorded and performed with multiple instruments such as drums, vibraphone, marimba and orchestral instruments. As an educator I have built a brand called “Drumcoach NYC” with many followers on social media.
I am most proud of the release of my debut album “Bridges” in 2023 as a band leader with all original compositions. My album features top level musicians such as Lonnie Plaxico, Jihee Heo and Alex Norris. This was a milestone for me, since I could show myself as a drummer, band leader and composer. In this recording people can hear my performing skills as well my creativity and artistic side.
You can listen/purchase the album here: https://ilyadynov.bandcamp.com/album/bridges. It is also available on all streaming services. You can also

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

There are a couple of things that are very important in my opinion to a thriving ecosystem. First it’s important to support live music. Live music is a very unique experience and can not be replicated by a recording. By going to see live concerts and paying for it, the industry gets encouraged to have more live music events. This leads to more playing opportunities, growth and creativity for the artists.
The second important thing is that people who listen to music, should do the research what channel compensates the artists the most for their work. Unfortunately most streaming services pay their artists neglectable fees. People should purchase music from artists on platforms like bandcamp or directly from the artist and avoid platforms such as Spotify.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is to see people being positively impacted and inspired by my creations and performances.
The power of music is to lift people’s spirits, make them feel better and give them a memory they will never forget.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ilyadynov.com
• Instagram: instragram.com/ilyadynov
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilya.dynov
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ilyadynov
• Other: My “Drumcoach NYC” brand, for education purposes:
  www.drumcoachnyc.com
  www.youtube.com/@drumcoachnyc
  instagram.com/drumcoachnyc

Image Credits

Irina Dynova
Yuto Kanazawa