Robert Keith Balfour, a native of Chicago, Illinois, has been playing drums and percussions since the age of 6. Even at a young age, Balfour had a natural ear for drum and percussion. He began playing percussion at Tabernacle of God COGIC Youth Choir. There, Balfour played the Bongos, Cow Bells, and Timbales. For high school, Balfour attended Carver Military Academy in Chicago, IL. John Harris, a well-known Chicago band director, saw Balfour’s natural gift of playing by ear. Harris took Balfour under his wings and taught Balfour how to read music to add to his natural drumming and percussion ability. Astonishingly, Balfour was quickly able to read and perform college level music. During his sophomore year in high school, he served as the drum line section leader. In his junior year, Balfour was promoted to Drum Major where he continued this role throughout his senior year. Following graduation, Balfour studied music performance and music education at Columbia College in Chicago. While in college, he played drums with The Dan Clingman Trio. With The Dan Clingman Trio, Balfour performed across the United States including states Milwaukee, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, and Tennessee.

Balfour also taught an after-school drum line at Benjamin E. Mayes Academy in Englewood Chicago, IL. Outside of drumming and percussion, Balfour is musically gifted. He founded his own youth choir, Project 228, that sung at many different venues in the Chicagoland area. Theatrically, Balfour is skilled in the technical arena. Balfour has experience and expertise in stage management (under event manager and coordinator Eric Rideout), light, and sound. Balfour has served as stage manager for many artists including Fred Hammond and Tye Tribbet. It is Balfour’s goal to combine his experience, skills, and talents in drumming, percussion, music, and technical theatre to create a premiere and life-lasting experience for all students of

RSIPA.