Raphael Pannier is a 27-year-old drummer and percussionist currently based in New York City. Born and raised in Paris, France, he started playing the drums at age 5 and began playing professionally at age 13. At 18, he was awarded a European scholarship to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. He graduated with a Performance Degree in 2013, having studied with some of the best teachers in the world: Terri Lyne Carrington, Ralph Peterson Jr., Hal Crook, and many others. After graduation, Raphael embarked right away upon an international career, playing in international jazz festivals such as Montreal (Canada), Baku (Azerbaijan), Paraty (Brazil), Paris (France), Las Palmas (Spain), and Tallinn (Estonia), and at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Apollo Theater (NYC), The Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), the Kursaal of Berne (Switzerland), and the Blue Note Tokyo (Japan). 

Growing up in both European and American cultures, Raphael developed a rare ability to perform many musical styles at a high level. As a result, he has had the chance to work with many masters, including Steve Wilson, Bob James, Lee Ritenour, Emil Afrasiyab, Aaron Goldberg, Marcos Valle, Eric Lewis, Lage Lund, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, and Francois Moutin. In 2017, Raphael completed his Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music under the wing of the renowned educator John Riley.